Gundam Seed Purity Pt2
by chromeflame109
Summary: After their battles on the Australian Continent and their defeat by the Tyranny, the Ceres pilots join an Anti-Purity squad in Orb led by Admiral Mu La Flaga of the Earth Forces. With the war against Purity moving into a new stage, how will the nations of Earth and the PLANTs react and what role will the crew of the Ceres play?
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first chapter for the second section of my fanfiction, Gundam Seed Purity. If you have not read part one, please stop reading now. You can find part one on my profile. For all of my readers who enjoyed part one, I hope you enjoy part two just as much. Feel free to place a review or send me a private message anytime with your thoughts on my work.**

_Cosmic Era 75._

_After a series of battles, Purity took control of the entire Australian continent. ZAFT forces struggled to hold their ground but held most of the continent, however due to Purity's overwhelming numbers and the use of their mass-produced Gundams they could not reclaim New South Wales or Western Australia. After a crippling defeat by Purity's Tyranny Gundam, the pilots of the Ceres were led by former Purity pilot, Hilde Regent to steal some of the organisation's Gundams. With the war against Purity slowly moving into a new stage, the crew of the Ceres would soon play a larger role than they ever could have imagined…_

-Earth-

The pilots of the Ceres stood on the bridge of the Minerva-class ship, gathered near Captain Phillips who was reading something off one of the screens on his armrest. He rubbed his chin as he read the orders displayed there and the pilots watched in anticipation as they waited for him to read them aloud. Hilde rubbed her injured arm, having taken the sling off of it in order to pilot the Saviour back to the ship. "Well then, these orders are interesting" Captain Phillips said as he finished reading.

"What would they be?" Aston asked, watching as the older man adjusted his hat.

"We're to leave Australia for now and travel to Orb. There we are to become part of a group being formed as an Anti-Purity Squad under the leadership of Admiral Mu La Flaga from the EAF" Richard explained, turning to face the pilots.

"Orb huh? Isn't that where you were born Victoria?" Marcel asked, looking to the brown haired girl.

"Yeah, but we moved to the PLANTs just before the first war" Victoria said in reply.

"We're moving out immediately meaning that we won't be stopping for any supplies or repairs. The crew will hereby be required to ration all food and water and any essential repairs that need to be made must be done so as soon as possible" Richard spoke into the ship's loudspeaker.

"We'll go and fix the operating systems for those Gundams, I doubt Purity is just going to let us get away from that base with them" Aston spoke, motioning the other pilots towards the door. The five of them all returned to the hangar and boarded their respective mobile suits.

"Really getting sick of doing this" Garret said as he began typing away on the Duel's keyboard. His eyes lingered on the screen for barely a second at a time as his fingers flashed across the keys like lightning. "All done" he said as the system began to reboot. He moved the Duel's head around slightly, testing its reactions. "Just like new" he said, patting the console of the mobile suit.

Garret climbed out of his suit and noticed Hilde leaning against the wall near the Saviour as he descended. He walked over to her once he reached the floor and smiled. "I forgot; you don't have to rewrite your OS since you're a Natural huh?" he asked.

"That's right; unlike you guys I can't quite handle a Gundam without it" Hilde said in response.

"Are you going to be ok fighting against Purity?" the blonde pilot asked and Hilde sighed.

"It will be hard at first, but I need to face Alastair, I need to find out what he plans to do with Purity" she explained. "Not to mention, I really want to give Xero a good ass kicking" she said with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure every pilot on this ship does" Garret commented and Hilde nodded in agreement. The ship suddenly shook violently and Garret was forced to catch Hilde as she was thrown off her feet. "Are you ok?" he asked, standing her back up.

"I'm fine" she replied.

"Garret, its forces from the base, we need to head out!" Aston called from the Sword Calamity and Garret nodded, running towards his Gundam. He climbed into the cockpit and turned the suit on again, pulling the seatbelts over his body. "Has everyone finished rewriting their operating systems?" Aston asked the other pilots and they all acknowledged that they had. The Sword Calamity was placed on the catapult and Aston watched as the lights lit up green signaling he could launch. "Aston Falcon, Sword Calamity, engage!" he called and the orange Gundam was flung off the ship.

Marcel was the next to be loaded onto the catapult and he watched as his rifle and shield were loaded on. "Marcel North, Chaos, bring it on!" he roared and the grey Gundam slowly turned green as it flew along the catapult. The Saviour was quickly loaded on next and Hilde did a quick check of her systems.

"Hilde Regent, in the Saviour Gundam, let's rock!" the purple haired pilot said and the Gundam flew along the catapult, turning red before it was thrown into the air. After Hilde, it was Garret's turn to launch.

"All systems green. Garret Kross, Duel, soar!" he yelled as he left the Ceres to join the others.

"Karl, what is the enemy's fighting strength?" Victoria asked as the Strike was loaded onto the catapult.

"Two BuCUEs, three DINNs and a Blitz" Karl said in reply.

"Roger that, equip the Aile Striker" Victoria said and she watched as the flight pack was loaded on along with her weapons. "This is Victoria Mays, Aile Strike, mobilise!" she called and the Gundam flew out of the ship. The five Gundams all stood in a row as the Purity mobile suits came towards them.

"Hilde, Victoria, you take the DINNs, we'll handle the BuCUEs" Aston order and the two girls took off into the air, Hilde transforming into mobile armour form. Aston drew one of his sword and the other hand of his suit reached up towards one of the two beam boomerangs.

"Don't get shot Marcel!" Garret said, firing at the approaching BuCUEs.

"Ha! Same goes for you!" Marcel called as he fired his own rifle. The four-legged mobile suits danced around the shots and then fired a barrage of missiles at the three Gundams. "Not so fast!" Marcel said, deploying his gunbarrels. The green cylinder like objects moved in front of the three ZAFT Gundams and fired their own missiles to destroy those fired by the BuCUEs.

"Nicely done!" Aston called as he hurled his boomerang at the closest BuCUE. The initial attack missed but as the weapon returned it took off the mobile suit's missile pod. Marcel deployed his gunbarrels at the same BuCUE, firing the guns from one at the front of the Purity suit. As the BuCUE leapt into the air to avoid the attack, Marcel swung the other gunbarrel around behind it and fired straight through the Purity suit's cockpit.

"Don't you steal all the fun" Garret said, firing his Igelstellungs at the remaining BuCUE. A few of the bullets connected, leaving small marks in the blue body of the mobile suit. As the dog-like machine reached him and engaged its beam blades, Garret struck out, slamming the bottom of his shield into the BuCUE's eye and then firing a round from his rifle through its body.

Hilde's red mobile armour soared through the sky towards the DINNs with the Strike following a little behind with its beam rifle ready. Hilde fired the two Amfortas plasma beam cannons, instantly destroying one of the DINNs and causing the others to fly to the sides. Victoria quickly aimed her rifle and fired through the waist of one of them, watching as it exploded and the final DINN went to fire its shotgun at Hilde. "I don't think so" she said, quickly switching to mobile suit form, drawing one of her sabres and cutting through the mobile suit.

"What do you know, we worked faster than the boys" Victoria said happily with a triumphant grin. "But Karl said there was a Blitz, where is it?" she asked, looking around. Her question was answered quickly when a black shape materialized and leapt at the Duel with the beam sabre in its shield.

"Whoa!" Garret called, spinning around and blocking the attack just in time with his shield. The black Gundam jumped back fired two lancer darts at the blue and white suit. Garret quickly dispatched them with his Igelstellungs, put away his rifle and pulled out one of his beam sabres. The Blitz stood with its own sabre ready, almost staring the Duel down.

"Really think you can take me you Coordinator trash?" the Purity pilot taunted. Garret ignored the taunt and stood ready. The Blitz charged at Garret, leaping into the air and preparing for an overhead slash with its beam sabre. Marcel swung his gunbarrels around behind the Gundam and fired them, blasting the mobile suit forward. Aston followed the attack by hurling one of his beam boomerangs, taking out the Blitz's head then its legs on the way back. Garret thrust up with his beam sabre and pierced the cockpit of the Blitz, causing it to crackle for a second then explode.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Marcel declared triumphantly, thrusting the Chaos' fist into the air. Hilde and Victoria landed on the Ceres as the other three pilots headed towards the ship.

"Let's hope that's the last combat we see before we reach Orb" Aston said, getting on board the Ceres. Garret and Marcel followed and docked their mobile suits. The five pilots climbed out and gathered in the briefing room of the ship after changing back into their proper uniforms.

"Hey, Captain Phillips said this Anti-Purity squad was run by Admiral La Flaga didn't he? Wasn't he one of those really famous war heroes from the last two wars like the members of the Joule Team?" Victoria asked, looking at Garret.

"I think so yeah, I know they call him the Hawk of Endymion because he took down five ZAFT GINNs in the battle around the Endymion Crater in a single mobile armour" Garret explained in response. "Not only that they say he also piloted the Strike Gundam after Kira Yamato got the Freedom" Garret continued.

"Wow, maybe he could show me how to use it properly then" Victoria said.

"Hey Commander, are you going to be part of this squad too or is it just us?" Marcel asked, looking at the crimson haired man.

"What about Hilde, since she's not officially a ZAFT soldier?" Victoria added in.

"Well the message that Captain Phillips got said that the entire crew would be part of the group so I would assume that includes me. As for Hilde, I'm not entirely sure" Aston explained in reply. "The question is, do you still want to fight for us?" the Commander asked, turning to the purple haired pilot.

"I can't say it feels good shooting down the people I until only recently called allies, but I have to stick with this if I want to find out the truth from Alastair, not to mention there is someone else I have to stop him from manipulating too. Hopefully fighting alongside you can help me find him before it's too late" Hilde said, swinging back on her chair slightly.

"You mean that Buster pilot?" Garret asked, looking to the older pilot.

"Yeah, Allen. I can't let Alastair discard him like he did me" Hilde replied.

"Well it's settled then, Hilde comes with us as an official crew member of the Ceres" Aston said. He saw Marcel and Victoria smile and he was happy to see that Marcel seemed alright with the decision too, seeing Hilde fight against Purity must have led him to trust her a little more, he thought to himself.

"I gotta say Victoria, you picked up piloting that Strike pretty fast, does it handle ok?" Marcel asked, looking to the long haired girl.

"I could say the same for you with that Chaos. But yeah, the Strike handles like a dream, it has so much more mobility than the GuAIZ had" Victoria replied.

"Getting used to those gunbarrels is gonna be hard, it was actually really difficult to get them going where I wanted them to" the brown haired young man said, a smile sitting below his emerald eyes. "I'd say the Commander picked up on that Gundam of his pretty quick too" Marcel commented, looking at Aston.

"Yeah but he's an ace, and a member of FAITH, it's expected" Victoria said.

"Just because I'm a member of FAITH doesn't mean I can instantly pilot any mobile suit. The only reason I found the Sword Calamity relatively easy to pilot is because I'm already used to close combat mobile suits thanks to my old GOUF" Aston stated, overhearing the conversation. "Now, I think we should all get some rest, it's been a rough day already and we have no idea when the enemy could attack again. It's a long trip to Orb" the Commander stated before leaving the room.

"Yeah, I'm starved. I could eat an entire cow right now!" Marcel commented, stretching his arms.

"Yeah right, I'd like to see you polish that off shorty" Garret remarked, patting the shorter pilot on the head as he walked past.

"Hey, I've grown!" Marcel called, chasing after the blonde pilot.

Hilde shook her head and sighed. "Boys" she commented as her and Victoria also left the briefing room. The group of pilots, with the exception of Aston, all headed to the cafeteria and took a seat near the TV on the wall.

"Well look at that, time for another speech by Alastair" one of the soldiers commented, looking at the press conference that was being shown. Hilde looked up and saw Alastair in his typical white suit with his jet black hair tied back in the usual ponytail. She noticed that behind him stood Allen and a young boy, no older than fourteen that she had never seen before. He was much smaller than the two men with wild, brown hair and a set of hazel eyes that seemed to hold little emotion. His denim jacket was tattered, matching the look of his hair.

"Hey Hilde, who's the kid?" Garret asked, noticing him as well. Hilde merely shook her head in response and watched as her former master began to talk.


	2. Chapter 2

"_People of Earth, we see our cities scarred once more by the barbaric forces of the Coordinators who seek to shatter the peace I wish to bring to this world. This time it was Australia, but who knows where the Coordinators will strike next. Asia? America? Africa? How are we to know; how are we to feel safe in our own homes, knowing those merciless monsters stalk our night skies and seek our destruction. What reason do they have to attack us in such an uncivilized and inhuman form? I cannot help but notice, the Earth Alliance Forces, who once sought to protect humanity and rid space of those Coordinator monsters now sit idly by and let them do as they please. I see no attempts by them to come to your need when your land is ravaged by those space-dwellers; I see them making no attempt to send aid to those suffering in the battle's aftermath. I cannot help but conclude that these people once called humanity's protectors are now in league with the Coordinators. They will lend no assistance to those who suffer here on Earth from the attacks we have witnessed across Australia, but Purity will. We will not stand by and let the Coordinators do as they please; we will stand and will fight for you, the people of this blue Earth, its true children_" Alastair spoke, his voice carrying across the courtyard he stood before. He slammed his hands down on the podium before him and gazed out at the sea of people.

"_I ask each and every citizen of this Earth, rise with me now. Let us make our stand for independence, let us show that we are not the inferior species here, that we, the true people of this Earth will not sit by and let the Coordinators take what is rightfully ours. Even if not on the battlefield, stand with me and fight in any way you can. Each one of you has a rightful place on this Earth, our Earth. It is time to reach out and claim that place with your own two hands!_" the Purity leader called to the people, summoning a resounding cheer in response.

"I'll give him points, he knows how to get the crowd on his side" Marcel commented darkly, watching the speech.

"It almost makes you wanna drop your weapon and stop fighting" Garret said, causing the others to all look at him. "Once you know that soon the battlefield is just going to be filled with innocent people being manipulated by him, it almost takes away your will to fight" he continued, staring down at the table.

"We can't stop fighting. All he's doing is leading hundreds or thousands of innocent people to their deaths. We can't stop fighting until we stop him" Marcel said, placing his hand on Garret's shoulder.

"I know" Garret said in reply before getting to his feet. "Hey Victoria, come for a walk" the blonde pilot said, leaving the cafeteria. Victoria got to her feet and followed close behind her friend.

"Is he ok?" Hilde asked, looking to Marcel.

"Garret hates war. From what I hear his father and older brother died in the last war. I'm pretty sure they were deceived by ex-chairman Durandal's speeches and they ended up dying in that final battle around the Requiem. What Alastair is doing reminds him of that I think; that's why he fights, to stop people sacrificing themselves because of people like Durandal and Alastair" Marcel explained, looking up at the still cheering crowd on the TV.

Garret and Victoria stepped out onto the deck of the Ceres and Garret went and leant on the railings, unbuttoning his red jacket so it fluttered freely in the wind. Victoria slowly approached him and gently placed her hand on his back and watched him with a sad expression. "Are you ok?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. I'm alright" he replied, staring out at the desert sand. "I just… I can't stand people like him. How can anyone sacrifice so many innocent people like that with no feelings of remorse, let alone call it right?" the young soldier asked.

"Garret… don't let him get to you. We're going to stop them. That's why we're going to Orb, we're going to defeat Purity and stop Alastair" Victoria said, looking into the sad eyes of her friend.

"I know… I just… I don't want to kill those people, knowing that they're just being deceived by that man and his fancy words" Garret said, tightening his grip on the railing.

"That's all he's trying to do to us, he's just making it that much harder to pull the trigger" Victoria said sadly.

"I know there's no use giving up now because of this, if we don't stop him its going to be a lot more than the ones we cut down who lose their lives because him. I won't stop, not until I personally pull the trigger on that bastard" Garret said, the resolve clear in his eyes as he watched the sand fly past. "For Cecil and for everyone else that man is going to sacrifice for whatever reason he's using, I'm going to stop him" he continued, looking to Victoria.

"I'll be right by your side the whole time" she said, leaning in and kissing her friend. "Come on, let's get back inside, it's getting cold out here" Victoria said a little more cheerfully, leaving a blushing Garret behind her. The blonde young man smiled and followed after her.

Back in the cafeteria, Marcel and Hilde sat in silence as they ate and waited for their two comrades to return. "Sorry about that" Garret said as they reentered the cafeteria and sat down with meals of their own.

"You good now man?" Marcel asked, looking up at Garret. The silver eyed young man nodded and took his seat.

"So, what do you think the strategy will be if we have to fight while out on the ocean?" Hilde asked, looking between the other pilots.

"I'd say everyone will still be able to fight. Everyone's Gundams except for mine and the Commander's can fly in the atmosphere and we have a few Guuls on board that the Duel and Calamity can use" Garret explained in reply. "But let's hope we don't have to fight out there" he continued.

"I can pretty much guarantee we'll have to. They're not gonna just let us get away with five of their Gundams. They'll send a group after us" the purple haired pilot explained. "So I'd recommend that we get prepared for that" she said.

"Well I dunno about anyone else, but I'm gonna go get some sleep. I'm stuffed" Marcel said with a groan as he got to his feet. He put his tray near the kitchen and left the cafeteria. The other three pilots finished their meals and returned to their rooms.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this constant fighting" Garret sighed as he kicked off his boots and fell forwards onto his bed. He rolled onto his back and stretched his body out before closing his eyes.

The next few days aboard the Ceres passed uneventfully with the ship passing into the ocean and making good time towards Orb. Aston sat on the bridge with Captain Phillips, watching the massive expanse of water as the ship tore through it like a knife to butter. "One thing I do love about Earth is the ocean, it's so peaceful" the red haired Commander commented.

"Isn't a little strange that Purity hasn't attacked us though? I figured they would have sent some sort of attack force after us to either take back or destroy the machines we stole from them" Captain Phillips said. "I think it might be wise the mobile suits prepped and ready to go whenever we need them" he continued.

"Already been taken care of. I had that done yesterday. We can't afford to be caught off-guard out here so I've already come up with a battle plan with the others. We'll all be ready to go on a moment's notice" Aston explained.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you on this ship" Richard said with a grin.

"Ha, I thought it was my good looks" the Commander said as he rose to his feet.

"Captain! Heat sources detected behind us; four of them!" Wallace called across the bridge.

"Looks like we jinxed it Aston" Richard said grimly. "What are they?" he called down to Wallace.

"Two Forbiddens and… two Abysses!" the soldier called in response.

"Four Gundams, they're getting serious" Aston said, looking to the Captain. "I'll launch immediately with the others" he said more seriously, running from the bridge.

"Lower the bridge! Ready all torpedo launchers with Wolframs and ready the Isoldes. Load missile tubes with Dispars and ready the Tristans for any of them that decide to pop their pretty little heads out of the water!" Richard called, watching his crew expertly perform the tasks.

Garret and Marcel ran down the corridor as they heard the order to go to level one battle stations. "I guess Hilde was right" Marcel said as they turned into the locker rooms where Aston was pulling on his white pilot suit.

"Four aquatic Gundams, hit them with physical weapons while they're underwater. The second they come out, hammer them with beams" Aston said as he pulled his helmet on and left the room.

"Four Gundams… I guess they aren't screwing around with us anymore" Marcel said as he changed. Garret remained silent as he pulled on his flight suit and headed down into the hangar. He saw Hilde's Saviour already being loaded onto the catapult and climbed into the cockpit of the Duel as she launched. He watched as Aston and a Guul were launched next and then it was his turn.

"Garret Kross, soar!" he said as he shot forward and was flung into the air above the ocean. A Guul quickly followed and he landed on it, the Duel's feet being locked into place. Marcel followed the Guul and quickly transformed into his mobile armour form like Hilde and Victoria followed in the Aile Strike.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do not go too close to the water; you don't want them dragging you in!" Aston called to the other pilots as his Sword Calamity hovered in the air. The two Forbiddens quickly shot out of the water and flew towards the Ceres pilots. They readied their huge scythes and swung at the Calamity and Strike. Aston met the attack with his swords and Victoria quickly moved out of the way. Marcel noticed out of the corner of his eye, the shadows of the Abysses heading for the Ceres and turned his Gundam.

"Commander! The others are going for the Ceres, I'm moving to protect it!" he called before flying off.

"Victoria, go with him, us three will take these two!" Aston ordered and Victoria too flew away. Saviour did a quick dive to avoid a scythe attack from one of the Forbiddens before turning and firing its plasma beam cannons at the Gundam. The Forbidden spun around and deflected the beams before firing its Hresvelgr cannon, the beam curving down towards Hilde. She tilted her Gundam slightly so that the attack slammed into her shield. The Saviour was thrown by the explosion and was thrown towards the water.

Garret flew down and grabbed the Saviour as it transformed back into its mobile suit form. He pulled the red Gundam back up again and let Hilde transform again so she could rejoin the battle. "Are you ok?" Garret asked.

"Yeah, the attack just caught me by surprise" Hilde replied, rocketing away towards the Forbidden again, Garret close behind.

Victoria landed on the Ceres and aimed her beam rifle down at the dark shadows in the water coming towards the ship. "Let's make some waves!" Marcel called, pointing towards the water and firing off a barrage of missiles. The projectiles exploded on the water and caused the two blue and white Gundams to leap up, showing their mobile armour bodies. They aimed up at the Ceres and fired their Balaena Kai cannons. "No!" Marcel yelled as the beams travelled towards the ship. Before they connected, the ship's Tristans fired and slammed into the beams from the Abysses, causing an explosion before they connected.

"Captain Phillips, send out the Sword Striker pack, I'm going underwater!" Victoria called to the ship.

"Are you nuts? There's no way you can keep up with those things underwater!" Marcel yelled, hovering near the Ceres, waiting for the two Gundams to come out of the water again.

"That may be true, but if we just sit here and wait for them to pop up, they'll end up sinking the Ceres!" Victoria yelled in response. "Captain, please ready the Sword Striker" she said as she flew around towards the catapult.

"Victoria, I'm coming with you" Aston spoke as he headed towards the Ceres. "Most of my suit's weapons can be used underwater as well, Marcel you go help Garret and Hilde" he continued, looking at the Chaos.

"But… Commander…" Marcel protested but Aston cut him off.

"That's an order Marcel, do it!" he roared, flying down towards the water. Marcel sighed and flew his Gundam mobile armour to where Garret and Hilde were fighting the two Forbiddens. Aston looked over and saw Victoria equipping the Strike's sword equipment and then jumping into the water. "Guess that's my cue… lets go fishing" Commander Falcon said, leaping from his Guul and letting his silver and black Gundam fall into the ocean.

"Take this!" Garret roared, slamming the blade of his beam sabre into one of the shields of the Gundam nearest him. He pulled it down and then drove the end of his shield into the enemy Gundam's chest. The Forbidden fired it's Igelstellungs at the Duel but the attack merely bounced off its Phase Shift Armour. Garret pulled his shield away and then replaced it with his beam sabre, the blade going straight through the green Gundam's cockpit. He retracted his beam sabre and flew back as the Forbidden fell back and exploded.

"Marcel, cover me!" Hilde called, flying at the other Forbidden. Marcel deployed his gunbarrels and started firing their beam guns from random points around the Purity mobile suit, causing it to move around in a confined area to avoid them. As Hilde neared her opponent, she transformed the Saviour into its mobile suit form and drew its beam sabres. "You're mine!" she yelled, aiming for the cockpit of the Gundam with the weapons. Her eyes widened when the Forbidden suddenly turned on her, its massive scythe coming towards her in a wide arc. Marcel shot forward and clamped the Chaos' claws around the Forbidden's waist, squeezing them in and ripping the mobile suit in half. The pieces of the Gundam fell into the water before exploding, causing the water to shot up like a geyser. "Thanks" Hilde said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Anytime" Marcel replied, looking down at the water below the Ceres. The Strike and Sword Calamity travelled through the water towards to the two mobile armours that were heading for the Ceres.

"Victoria, be careful, just remember that your Strike won't handle the same underwater" Aston warned, readying his swords. Victoria acknowledged the order and readied her own sword. As the ZAFT pilots approached them, the Abysses turned and started towards them, firing off a number of torpedoes. The two sword wielding Gundams were thrown through the water by the explosions as the two Purity mobile suits approached them, planning to impale them with their lances. Aston fired off his rocket anchors and grappled onto one of the Abysses. "Victoria, catch!" he called, flinging the mobile suit towards the Strike.

"I've got it!" Victoria said, ramming the point of her sword against the Abyss. The attack pierced the body of the Gundam slightly but it didn't destroy it. She flung the Abyss away on her sword and backed away. "Commander, we have a problem!" Victoria called.

"Phase Shift…" Aston spoke slowly as he saw the results of Victoria's attack. "We need to get them out of the water!" he continued, dodging several more torpedoes.

"How?" the brunette girl asked, slamming her sword against the Abyss she was fighting as it came near her.

"Use your anchor, grab it and fling it out of the water, the others can shoot them with beam weapons when we do" Aston said dodging a charge attack. Victoria fired off her rocket anchor but the Abyss swam out of the way and then slammed into the Strike.

"Dammit!" Victoria yelled as she tumbled through the water.

"Victoria!" Aston called, sending his anchors at the Abyss attacking her. He grabbed onto it and started towards the top of the water. "Garret, shoot this!" the Commander called, flinging the struggling mobile armour out of the water. Garret raised his rifle as he saw the blue and white mobile armour transform when it exited the water.

"Marcel, get it if I miss" Garret said, pulling the trigger. The beam tore through the cockpit of the Gundam and the three ZAFT pilots hovering around the Ceres watched as it exploded and debris rained into the ocean. "Got it Commander" the blonde pilot said.

The Sword Calamity was shaken when a torpedo slammed into its torso. Aston was bounced around in the cockpit as he tried to stabilize his suit. Victoria fired her anchor and grappled onto one of the beam cannons on the top of the mobile armour and flung it out into the sky. Hilde flew down, seeing the machine come out of the water and readied her beam sabres. She flew past the Abyss, slicing through two sections of the fuselage and destroying the Purity machine. "Enemy neutralized" Hilde spoke and the two underwater pilots relaxed in their cockpits.

"Come on Victoria, let's get back to the ship" Aston spoke, heading towards the Ceres. Victoria followed close behind and the two boarded the ship, docking their machines with the others. Garret climbed out of his Duel and stood at its feet for a moment before approaching Victoria while she descended from the Strike.

"Are you ok?" the blonde pilot asked as the brunette girl took her helmet off.

"Yes, I'm ok, that was just a little scary" Victoria said in reply. "I really hope we don't see any more fighting before we get to Orb, I'm exhausted" she sighed.

"Yeah, we've been fighting almost nonstop, I think it's taking its toll on everyone" Garret sighed. "Where do they get their numbers? Not to mention the seemingly endless supply of mobile suits" the young pilot wondered, cracking his neck.

"There was something weird about those enemies we just fought; they were piloting their machines too skillfully. I don't know if it was just my imagination but those pilots seemed a cut above the rest" Aston said, walking over to Garret and Victoria with Hilde by his side. Marcel followed quickly behind, listening to the conversation.

"No it wasn't your imagination, I noticed it too. The pilots still weren't fantastic but their movements were a lot more fluid and their aim was much better" Hilde spoke.

"That's bad. If they're getting better pilots, we could be in danger" Marcel said, his hands shaking a little. "Do we really have a chance in this war?" he asked quietly, his eyes lowering to the floor.

"Don't say that Marcel. We knew they'd have to get better eventually, but we can't let that stop us. If Purity isn't stopped then this world is as good as screwed. Are you seriously just gonna sit back and let Alastair have his way?" Garret asked loudly with anger clear in his voice as he strode towards his friend.

"Seriously Garret, how the hell are we supposed to win this?! How the hell do we fight against that Tyranny bastard along with this unending army that Purity seems to pulling out of nowhere?! Answer me that! What hope do we have?" Marcel roared. Garret noticed the tears in his friend's eyes as he yelled. The brown haired pilot's body shook as he stared at Garret, he was afraid.

"How do we know if we can win or not or we don't try? Nobody is unbeatable, we can take down the Tyranny… we just have believe in ourselves and work together" Garret said, his voice lowering to a more calm level. "We'll win this war, trust me Marcel" the blonde pilot spoke, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Y…you're right, we just have to keep fighting" Marcel said quietly, calming down.

"Come on, let's go relax in the lounge, you come with us Victoria" Garret said, smiling at his two friends. The three began walking away but stopped when Hilde walked up behind them.

"May I join you all?" she asked the three younger pilots.

"Of course, you don't need to ask" Victoria said with a smile. "Would you like to come as well Commander?" she asked, looking at Aston.

"Thank you for the offer, but unfortunately I have other matters to attend to. Next time perhaps" Aston replied, walking past his comrades and leaving the hangar. The others proceeded to the ship's lounge after changing into their uniforms.

"I wonder how long it will be until we get to Orb…" Garret muttered, laying down on one of the couches and covering his eyes with his arm.

"I couldn't help but notice that you guys seem really close" Hilde spoke, looking between Garret and Marcel. The two looked at each other and laughed a little. "How did you too meet anyway?" the purple haired pilot asked.

"Well now, that was a while ago huh Marcel?" Garret asked, looking at his friend.

"Yeah, just over a year ago" the brown haired young man replied with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

-Space, CE74-

The blue Nazca-class ship hovered in port as four mobile suits were loaded on board. The mechanics watched as this happened, two ZAKUs, a GINN and a white GOUF Ignited. "A GINN, don't see many reds using them anymore, it's usually ZAKUs and GOUFs now" one of the green clad men said and several of his co-workers nodded in agreement. On board the ship, three red uniformed ZAFT soldiers stood before an older man wearing a black uniform and a crimson haired man in a white uniform.

"I am Captain Richard Phillips, the commanding officer of this vessel" the black-clad man spoke in a loud voice. "This man is Commander Aston Falcon, a member of the FAITH Special Forces and this ship's ace pilot" he continued, motioning to the crimson haired man.

"Let me see if I have this correct, your names are Lucian Williams, Marcel North and Garret Kross correct?" Aston asked, looking to each of the three red pilots. Each of the pilots confirmed their names and saluted their superior. "Shall we tell them our mission Captain?" the Commander asked, looking to Richard who nodded in response.

"I'm sure you've all heard of the '_revolutionist_' group known as Purity correct?" Richard asked and the three pilots nodded. "Well it seems lately they've been taking a more aggressive stance and have been attacking small colonies. The mission of this ship, the Bayonet, and its crew is to assist those colonies who have fallen under Purity attack and restore order" Captain Phillips explained.

"I want you all to board your machines. The three of you are going to compete in a free-for-all practice match to get used to each other's fighting styles. This will help you work better together as a team" Aston spoke, looking between each of his subordinates, his eyes lingering on Garret slightly longer than the other two. The three red uniformed soldiers saluted the Commander and departed from the bridge.

"So what's your deal Mr. Depression?" Lucian remarked, looking at Garret. The blonde pilot remained silent, his emotionless eyes watching the floor as he walked. "What, not gonna talk? I asked you a question dammit!" Lucian said loudly, stepping ahead of Garret and slamming his fist into the wall, blocking the other pilot's path.

"L…Lucian, I don't think this is a good idea…" Marcel stuttered, trying to get between the two pilots.

"Shut it Marcel! I ain't gonna have this guy ignoring us for no reason and those zombie eyes of his just piss me off" Lucian snapped, glaring straight at Garret. "Not to mention, did you see the way that Commander Falcon guy was looking at him, there's somethin' goin' on there that we aren't getting told. I want answers blondie!" Lucian yelled. Garret's eyes looked up at Lucian and stared at him.

"I don't see why I should have to tell you anything, I have no intentions of becoming your friendly comrade" Garret said coldly, staring straight into Lucian's eyes. "Now get out of my way, we have things to do" the blonde pilot spoke, pushing past Lucian and heading to the hangar.

"Dammit, I'm gonna punch that guy square in the face!" Lucian roared as he pulled on his pilot suit.

"Lucian… would you just calm down. Clearly something happened to him, why can't you just leave him be?" Marcel sighed as he zipped up his own suit.

"Shut it, I'm goin' out there and I'm kick his little blonde ass into next week!" Lucian yelled, flying out of the locker room.

"Man you have anger issues…" Marcel said quietly, following his friend.

"Captain, I'm ready to launch" Garret spoke as he finished prepping his GINN.

"Head out and await the two ZAKUs" Captain Phillips said and Garret's mobile suit was moved to the catapult. Garret closed the visor of his helmet and watched as the lights of the catapult lit up.

"GINN, clear for launch" a female voice spoke and a brunette girl's face appeared on Garret's screen. The blonde pilot nodded and gripped his controls.

"This is Garret Kross, in the GINN, soar!" he called and his mobile suit shot of the Bayonet and flew out of the dock into space. Garret came to a stop and drew his machine gun as he watched the two ZAKUs launched. Garret also noticed a white GOUF launch from the ship, he knew it was Aston.

"All of your guns have been loaded with paint rounds and your physical weapons have been replaced with training ones. I will observe the fight from here, if you take a fatal attack then you must withdraw to the Bayonet" Aston explained. He ordered the fight to begin and one of the ZAKUs flew at Garret.

"So you're in that one…" Garret commented, drawing his sword.

"I'll kick your ass first!" Lucian said eagerly, firing a barrage of paint rounds at the GINN. The mobile suit boosted to the side and avoided the attack but made no attempt at a counterattack. "Too chicken to fight me?!" Lucian called, drawing his training tomahawk and boosting at Garret. He swung his tomahawk from the left in a horizontal strike at the GINN's waist, causing Garret to start to move. Lucian smirked and quickly flicked his weapon up.

"Too predictable" Garret commented. He quickly clashed the blade of his sword into that of Lucian's tomahawk and then pointed his machine gun at the ZAKU's cockpit. He pulled the trigger and a single red paint round splattered across the cockpit of the green machine.

"Lucian, return to the ship" Aston spoke, seeing the shot.

"Dammit!" Lucian yelled, throwing his tomahawk away and flying towards the Bayonet. "Take him out Marcel" the black haired pilot grumbled.

"Thought this was supposed to be a free-for-all… I feel like I'm being ganged up on" Garret remarked, turning to Marcel who had stood idly by and watched him and Lucian fight.

"Look, sorry about Lucian. I thought I'd just let him get his rage out on you, he's not normally like that" Marcel commented, taking aim at Garret.

"Frankly, I don't really care. I'm here to fight, not to make friends" Garret spoke. With that comment he closed the communication and boosted forward at Marcel. The two clashed blows for a minute or two before Garret got the better of Garret, feinting a shot at the ZAKU with his gun and then quickly smashing the blade of his training sword into Marcel's cockpit.

"Marcel, you're out. Both of you head back to the ship" Aston ordered and he followed the two mobile suits back to the Bayonet.

-Earth, CE75-

"Wow, that sounds nothing like you two now" Hilde commented, surprised by the story.

"Haha yeah, Garret was an ass back then" Marcel said with a wide grin.

"I think I had a pretty valid reason…" Garret said quietly.

"Oh right, that must have been just after Cecil… Yeah now I can see why you acted like that" Marcel said with a nod of understanding.

"Were you really that timid and polite back then Marcel? It seems really different to how you act now" Hilde pointed out.

"Haha yeah, I guess I've changed a bit" Marcel said, his face turning red.

"Those were the easy days" Victoria said with a smile. "Back then, I don't think any of us knew how deep we'd get into this" she continued.

"True that. But I guess there's no turning back now, we just have to fight and end this as soon as possible" Garret said, staring at his hand as he held it in the air. "I just want to go back to a normal life after all this, I'm sick of this fighting" he sighed.

"You guys… you're all lucky" Hilde said, a tear forming in her right eye. "After this, you all have normal lives back to if you choose… I have nothing" she said quietly, looking at the floor.

"You could always come with us" Victoria said with her usual motherly smile. Hilde looked up and gazed at the three smiling faces that watched her.

"Are you… serious?" she asked, fighting to hold back tears. Victoria, Marcel and Garret all nodded and a large smile crossed Hilde's face. "Thank you, all of you" she said.

The Ceres proceeded to Orb without any further Purity interference. Upon arrival the ship was docked at Onogoro Island and the pilots and officers of the ship were summoned to meet with the country's leader. Richard, Aston and the four pilots proceeded to a large outside area where three people stood waiting for them.

The first was a tall man with long blonde hair. He wore an Earth Force admiral uniform and the ZAFT soldiers could see a number of large scars on his face. Next to him was a young woman who stood much shorter than him. She too had blonde hair that hung just past her shoulders and wore a formal, purple outfit. On her other side was a young man almost as tall as the blonde man. He wore an Orb military uniform and his blue hair hung on his shoulders.

The pilots saw their superiors salute the three people as they approached and quickly did the same. Their greeting was returned and Richard shook hands with the young woman. "My name is Cagalli Yula Athha, I am Orb's leader" she spoke.

"I am Captain Richard Phillips of the ZAFT ship Ceres. It is an honor to meet you" Captain Phillips spoke in response. "These are members of my crew, go ahead and introduce yourselves" he said, motioning to the other ZAFT soldiers.

"Commander Aston Falcon, member of FAITH Special Forces and pilot of the Sword Calamity Gundam" the crimson haired man spoke.

"Marcel North, pilot of the Chaos Gundam" Marcel said with a small bow.

"Victoria Mays, pilot of the Strike Gundam" Victoria spoke, her tone slightly nervous.

"Hilde Regent, pilot of the Saviour Gundam" the purple haired pilot said.

"Garret Kross, pilot of the Duel Gundam" Garret said, looking between the three people greeting them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all, I'll let these two men introduce themselves" Cagalli responded, letting the two men with her step forward.

"My name is Mu La Flaga, I'm an Admiral in the Earth Alliance Forces and pilot a mobile suit called the Perfect Strike Gundam. I'll be leading the Anti-Purity Squad" the blonde man spoke, nodding to each of the ZAFT soldiers. He turned to the blue haired young man and motioned him forward.

"Admiral Athrun Zala, I'm in charge in Orb's military" the blue haired young man spoke, bowing slightly.

"Athrun Zala?! The legendary ace pilot from the last two wars?" Marcel blurted out, attracting glares from Captain Phillips, Aston and Cagalli. "I… I'm sorry" he quickly said with a fast bow.

"If you don't mind, I don't think we can really afford to waste much time here. After all, there are reports of Purity forces heading this way" Admiral La Flaga spoke, looking between everyone around him.

"Yes, I agree. Would you like to go introduce them to the others?" Cagalli asked, looking at Mu.

"Yes, I think that would be a good start" Mu replied.

"Very well. I'm sorry this was so short, but Admiral Zala and I really must get going, I hope we get a chance to catch up later on" Cagalli spoke. The ZAFT pilots all saluted as the Cagalli and Athrun walked away.

"Please follow me" Admiral La Flaga said, leading the ZAFT pilots to one of the island's docks where a large aircraft carrier was docked. "This ship is the Izanami. It is in the same class as a ship used in the last war called the Takemikazuchi" Mu explained. He approached a soldier standing near the ramp leading to the ship. "Please get Wolf, Schwarzlang and Thompson down here immediately" he said and the soldier quickly ran onto the ship.

"I'm assuming they're the other pilots selected for this squad?" Aston asked, looking at the EAF Admiral.

"Yes, that is correct. They're all very competent pilots who have been selected for this mission. I can personally vouch for their skills having seen them fight first-hand" Mu replied. The group waited a few minutes until three people approached them from the Izanami.


	5. Chapter 5

The first was a tall young man with shoulder length brown hair with a fringe that sat just above his eyebrows. His Orb uniform was in pristine condition making him look almost like a mint condition action figure. His brown eyes looked at the gathered ZAFT soldiers as he approached. Following behind him was middle-aged woman with long, black hair. She wore an Earth Forces uniform and her crystal blue eyes seemed to wander around the dock. The last person in the line was a tall young man with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a ZAFT flight suit and walked as if he was half-asleep, his eyes gave the same impression. The three gathered behind Mu and stood at attention.

"Go ahead and introduce yourselves" the Admiral said, stepping aside slightly. The Orb soldier was the first to step forward.

"My name is Atticus von Schwarzlang. I am an Orb soldier and pilot an M1A Astray" he spoke. His voice was clear and his tone calm. He spoke with a sense of formality that seemed rather different to a normal soldier. He stepped back and the woman stepped forward.

"Ensign Cassandra Thompson. Earth Federation Forces, Windam pilot" she spoke loudly with a salute. Garret could easily tell she was a seasoned soldier. She stepped back and let the ZAFT pilot come forward.

"Yo! The name's Dante Wolf. I'm a ZAFT soldier like you guys and I fly a GOUF Ignited" the young man said eagerly. His former tiredness had disappeared as he introduced himself. Aston's group introduced themselves in return and Mu again began to speak.

"Now obviously this squad's mission is to take the fight to Purity. However this does not mean it will simply fight any Purity forces that appear. Our mission is to seek out and take key positions that Purity holds. We will assist in defense operations if we can, however we will primarily act as commando unit with no specific attachment to any of the three armies" Admiral La Flaga explained.

"So we're not members of ZAFT anymore?" Marcel asked, slightly confused.

"That is incorrect. You are all still part of your official armies, you will just be acting separately from them for the duration of this mission" Mu explained. Marcel nodded understanding and Mu continued. "For now all operation will occur here on Earth, however should Purity further expand into space, the Ceres crew will move to combat them while the Izanami remains here. I may be in charge of this squad but I will most likely not be joining you in every mission, I will simply be giving you your missions and submitting reports to the higher-ups" he explained.

"Um, excuse me sir, forgive me for interrupting" Victoria said, raising her hand. Mu looked to the girl and she continued. "Um, I know you were a pilot in the first two wars, does that mean you'll be joining us on the battlefield when you are with us?" she asked.

"Should the situation require it then yeah, I guess so" Admiral La Flaga replied with a kind smile. "Now, enough with the explanations. There is a relatively large Purity force heading for Orb and we are going to stop them. I am aware that the Ceres has come under fire lately quite a lot lately and I'm sorry for throwing you into battle straight away but unfortunately it can't be helped, hopefully you can rest for a while after this" Mu said apologetically.

"It is fine Admiral, we can handle ourselves out there" Captain Phillips responded.

"Very well then. I'll board the Izanami and we'll move out straight away, the Purity forces should be here in less than half an hour" Mu said and he led the Izanami pilots onto their ship.

"Let's get back to the Ceres and prepare for combat!" Captain Phillips said and the ZAFT crew ran from the docks. When they arrived back at the ship, the pilots boarded their machine while Richard returned to the bridge.

"We'll need two Guuls for the Duel and my Calamity. All of us will go on the offensive this time but I want Hilde and Marcel ready to return to the Ceres to defend it if necessary" Aston ordered as he checked his suit's systems.

"Let's get this started" Garret spoke as he walked the Duel to the catapult. He waited for its equipment to be loaded then grabbed the controls. "This is Garret Kross in the Duel Gundam, soar!" He called and the grey Gundam was flung out into the air, a Guul following close behind. Garret landed on the aircraft and watched as the other Ceres pilots launched. The Ceres and Izanami sailed side-by-side and Garret could see the other ship's mobile suits standing on the deck. Atticus' blue and white M1A Astray with its large sniper rifle, Cassandra's Windam with a Jet Striker equipped and its beam gun ready and Dante's midnight blue and silver GOUF Ignited with its sword out.

"Wow, it feels kinda unfair that we have Gundams and they have to use mass-produced suits" Marcel said sadly. "Oh well, if they're on this squad they must be pretty good in those things" he continued, shrugging his shoulders. Garret saw Atticus raise the sniper rifle of his suit and gaze through the scope.

"They must have picked up the pace. I can see two Aegis-class ships, two Spengler-classes and one Vosgulov-class submarine just surfaced" the Orb pilot spoke as he gazed onto the horizon. "Multiple mobile suits are deploying from them, both aerial and aquatic" he pointed out.

"You all take care of the mobile suits, the Izanami and Ceres will focus on taking down the ships" all of the pilots heard Admiral La Flaga's voice say. "Show me that all of you were good choices for this job" he said before closing the communication.

"Alright, let's take em down!" Dante called, sending his GOUF flying into the air, closely followed by Cassandra's Windam. The Strike and Chaos followed close behind them while the Duel, Saviour and Sword Calamity hovered near the Izanami.

"Garret, I want you to remain here and protect the Astray, don't let anything get close while he's lining up shots" Commander Falcon said, tapping the Duel on the shoulder as he flew past.

"Roger!" Garret said in response as he lowered himself slightly closer to the Izanami.

"Boom" Atticus said as he pulled the trigger on his rifle. Garret watched as the round flew a large distance before tearing through the cockpit of a DINN just about to launch from one of the Spengler-class ships.

"Wow… I could barely see that guy" Garret said in awe, watching the explosion. "Why did you aim for that one, not one of the closer ones?" the blonde pilot asked.

"When that one that exploded, it would have badly damaged the launch bay it was standing in as well as the surrounding hull of the ship" Atticus explained as he began lining up another shot. Garret nodded in understanding and looked around for any approaching suits or missiles.

Aston flew amongst the Purity forces that were rapidly deploying. His twin swords cleaved through torsos and limbs causing explosions all around him. He turned to dispatch a Windam but before he could, Marcel shot it down with his gunbarrels. "Sorry Commander, but you're too slow!" Marcel commented, flying past him.

"Aren't I supposed to be the ace here?" he asked, following the green Gundam. The Aile Strike flew forward and Victoria attempted to shoot down several Purity mobile suits with its rifle, but the enemy machines kept dodging her attacks.

"Come on, sit still" the brunette pilot commented, trying to hit her opponents. She put her beam rifle away and sped forward with one of her sabres. She rammed her shield into an enemy Murasame and then quickly drove her sabre down through the top of its head. "Yeah that's right!" she said triumphantly as she flew away before it exploded. Dante soared past her and flicked out his heat whip, piercing the flight pack of an enemy GOUF before he sliced through its torso with his sword.

"You ok there?" he asked Victoria, flying level with her.

"Yes I'm alright, they just don't wanna sit still" Victoria replied, blocking a strike from a Windam's beam sabre before countering with her own.

"We're firing the Tristans! Allied forces get clear of the line of fire!" Richard's voice called to the pilots. They quickly spread out as four large beams tore through the enemy mobile suits, destroying several of them as well as the two Spengler-class ships.

"There were aquatic suits too right, where are they?" Garret asked, scanning the water.

"Not to mention, where are their Gundams? I haven't seen any yet" Atticus added, using the scope of his rifle to examine the remaining ships. The fight went on for almost an hour until all of the visible Purity ships and mobile suits were destroyed. Several aquatic suits had attempted to sink the Izanami and Ceres with a surprise attack from the rear but they were stopped by Garret, Atticus and Hilde.

"Alright then, that was well done. All forces return" Mu spoke to his troops when the battle was over. The pilots all returned to their respective suits and disembarked from their mobile suits. When the Ceres pilots reached the bridge, Captain Phillips was waiting for them.

"We've been granted one week's break here in Orb. You all have permission to leave the ship so feel free to do as you please" the Captain spoke.

"But what if Purity attacks in that time?" Garret asked.

"Then your vacation will be cut short" Richard replied, taking his seat again. "Dock the ship! Secure all mobile suits cargo in the hangar!" he called to the bridge crew who frantically typed away and relayed orders to other sections of the ship. The pilots all saluted the Captain and then left the bridge.

"Alright, we finally get a vacation after all this damn fighting" Marcel said. The others shared his enthusiasm, after fighting nonstop for so long it would be good to be able to rest for a while. "So where do we go then?" he asked, looking between his comrades.

"Well, I do believe I have a good idea" Aston spoke, walking up to the other pilots, a mischievous grin on his face.

"You're coming too Commander?" Victoria asked, looking at the crimson haired man.

"Is there a problem with that?" Aston asked in response. Victoria stepped back and her cheeks turned slightly red in embarrassment.

"N..no of course not sir!" Victoria said, feeling even more embarrassed when everyone started laughing.

"So then, what's the plot you're dragging us into?" Garret asked as the group began walking down the corridor leading away from the bridge.

"Now that's a surprise, all of you go get some casual clothes on and meet me in the hangar" Aston said, breaking off from the group. "Oh, and that's an order" he said before rounding a corner.

"Well, you heard the Commander, let's get changed and get our vacation on!" Marcel said eagerly, charging down the corridor towards his room.

"Victoria, would you have any casual clothes I could borrow for a little bit? I don't have any outfits with me" Hilde asked, looking at the brunette girl.

"Of course, we'll have to take you shopping while we're here" Victoria replied, leading the purple haired pilot to her room.

"Everyone's excited to get this break, I can't blame them. It'll be nice to let our hair down, even if it's only for a little while" Garret said with a smile. After twenty minutes or so the pilots gathered in the hanger around Aston. The Commander stood near a sapphire blue convertible dressed in black pants, a white singlet and a blue, denim jacket. He stared at the other pilots through the red sunglasses he wore.

"You all took your time. Let's get going" Aston said, climbing into the driver's seat of the car.

"I call shotgun!" Garret called, running and vaulting over the door into the seat next to Aston.

"Wow… how old are you?" Victoria asked, climbing into the far left-hand seat in the back. Hilde sat next to her and Marcel on the right-hand side. Aston turned the car on and sped out of the Ceres' hangar as the door opened. The Commander steered the car with expertise through the streets, the wind blowing through the hair of the pilots as he sped up.

"Commander, are you even sticking to the speed limit?" Marcel asked, trying to see the vehicle's speedometer.

"Of course I am" he said curtly. "Now first thing's first, as long as we're on vacation you can all call me Aston instead of Commander, you can abandon the formalities for now" the red-haired man said.

"I don't think I'm ever gonna get over seeing you out of uniform" Marcel said, looking at Aston and shaking his head. The five ZAFT pilots passed the time of the car ride with idle chatter until Aston parked the car in front of a large three story building. Above the front door was a large rectangular sign with the word 'Karaoke' written in large neon lights.

"Whoa wait a second, we're gonna do karaoke?!" Marcel blurted out, seeing the sign.

"But if this was the Commander… I mean Aston's idea, does that mean he's going to sing?" Victoria asked, looking at the crimson haired man as he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Of course, now come on, we're wasting time" Aston said, heading inside the building.


	6. Chapter 6

"Wow, I was expecting the beach or something, not karaoke" Hilde said, following behind. Marcel and Victoria also quickly followed Hilde, Garret however lingered outside for a minute.

"I remember this place…" he said with a sad smile on his face. He walked into the building and followed the others to the second floor. "So who goes first the blonde pilot asked, sitting on the soft seat that went around almost the entirety of the circle room. Jutting out from the wall was a screen and in the centre of the room was what looked like a dance floor with a microphone standing in the middle.

"I reckon since it was Aston's idea he goes first" Marcel said, eager to hear how badly his Commander would sing. Everyone's eyes fell on Aston as he slid his sunglasses up into his hair and took the microphone. As he removed the microphone from the stand the screen turned on and a voice began to speak.

"_Please speak name, song title and artist_" the voice spoke.

"Aston Falcon, Invoke by T.M. Revolution" the Commander spoke into the microphone. There was a loading symbol on the screen for a few seconds and then the music for the song started and Aston began to sing. "_Every time we hurry past each other, we hit and tear ourselves on impact  
and we feel the pain of each other's wings. We were embraced in unclean, impure arms  
because in our loneliness we didn't know any better. The moment we connect, eternity will awaken, I long for it. Exposed in a flickering instant that flew by too fast, I can't reach anything alone,  
these mere wishes and fading words, can't get us anywhere by themselves. Though I fixed my eyes right on them, I've still lost sight of the stars, but their light remains, and no one can steal it._" Aston sang, his eyes closed and not even reading the lyrics that appeared on screen.

"Holy crap… he's good" Marcel said amazed. Everyone watched and listened in awe as the Commander sang the song perfectly, surprised by his singing voice. Garret leant against the wall, moving his lips to match the lyrics as he read them.

"Did you know he could sing like this?" Victoria whispered to the blonde pilot. Garret nodded silently in reply, watching the Commander. As the song finished the others all applauded Aston who sat down next to Garret, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Wow, I haven't done that for a while" he said. "Who's up next?" Aston asked, looking between the others. Marcel quickly leapt to his feet and approached the microphone. He selected a song and began singing. The others tried their hardest not to cover their ears from the off key singing of the rock song Marcel had picked.

"I thought Cecil was bad last time we were here" Garret said quietly with a smile. Aston tried not to laugh at the comment.

"No, I think Cecil is still winning in terms of worst singing, he did make us leave the room after all" Aston said, looking at Garret. "Amazing mobile suit pilot, horrible singer" the Commander added. When Marcel finished it was Garret who stood up.

"Garret Kross, Shoot by Seki Tomokazu" Garret said and Aston's eyes looked at the blonde young man. He remembered when he had come here with Garret and Cecil, Garret had refused to sing, saying that nobody would ever hear him sing. The music started and Garret took a deep breath. "_Starlight, bursting in the distance, scattering down fragments of a dream, wounding the palm that reached for them. On the days we only fought, there were probably some things we could have just talked over, but we only believe in the strength of our solitary fists. Even my hatred is turned into power Back-to-back, deep emotion passing by me, growing even closer, my eyes looking the resounding future in the face. Shoot for the future, to a place that still shines, boosting speed to survive Accelerating this much, this glow by my side, suddenly, I wished I could have protected it_" he sung.

"That's a nice song, and Garret has a really nice voice" Victoria said quietly to herself, watching her friend. The group sang on long into the night before heading to a hotel that Aston had booked for them all. Garret sat in the room he shared with Marcel and Aston staring out the window at the cityscape below.

"So how come we didn't just go back to the Ceres?" Marcel asked, looking at Aston.

"Well I figure since we're on vacation, what's the point of having a good time and then just going back to a military ship, it wouldn't really feel like a break" the Commander explained in reply. Marcel saw his reasoning and fell backwards onto his bed. Aston looked over at Garret and saw a look of unease on the young pilot's face. "Something wrong Garret?" he asked, walking over to his old friend.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm ok. I guess I've just gotten so used to being ready to go out into combat on a moment's notice for so long it feels kinda weird to be able to relax like this" Garret explained.

"I know how you feel. But for the next week, let's just forget about this whole war and take it easy. I think this break is well deserved for all of us" Aston explained, placing a hand on Garret's shoulder.

"I'll try" Garret said, turning his head back to the window. Aston took a deep breath and cleared his throat, causing Garret to turn around again.

"Garret Kross! I hereby order you to have fun for the next week! Failure to follow this order will result in solitary confinement for forty-eight hours!" Aston said strictly, staring Garret dead in the eyes. He kept his gaze until Garret started laughing uncontrollably. "Is there a problem soldier?" Aston said loudly, sounding like a military drill instructor.

"How the hell did you say that with a straight face?" Garret asked between laughs. He clutched his stomach as he doubled over, trying to breathe. Aston smiled, having accomplished what he had wanted. He glanced over at Marcel and saw the boy smiling; he had been worried about Garret as well.

"Just make sure you have fun Garret, for all of us" Aston said, walking over to his bed. After the first day, the Ceres crew's vacation seemed to fly by. The pilots spent time on the beach, shopping and doing various other things to relax. The final day of their vacation came and the group decided to remain at the hotel for the whole day.

Garret stood on the roof of the tall building leaning on the railing, his blonde hair and black, leather jacket fluttering in the wind. He stared out at the peaceful city; smiling at the people he could see enjoying their everyday lives in the streets below. "I think after this war, I'll come back here. Would you like to join me?" he spoke, hearing a pair of footsteps approaching.

"I'd like that. I want to get away from all this fighting, I think we've seen our fair share" Victoria replied, walking up next to him. She raised her hand to hold her long hair as it started flying around wildly in the wind. Her other hand pulled her jacket closer to her as she watched Garret staring out at the city.

"To be honest Victoria, I was going to get Aston to make you go back to being in charge of the CIC when you first became a pilot" Garret said, looking down to his friend.

"What stopped you?" Victoria asked.

"I saw how good you became. At first I was worried every time you went onto the battlefield, but now I feel like I can trust you with my life. I feel like if I was going to be shot down, I know you'd be there to save me" Garret explained, stepping back from the railing and turning to Victoria.

"I would be there" Victoria said. Garret smiled at his friend and took her into his arms. Victoria's eyes widened with surprise before she returned his embrace. The two stood together for a long moment. Garret leant down and whispered into Victoria's ear, words that made her eyes widen again and her cheeks go bright red.

"Let's bring down Purity, together" Garret said and Victoria nodded in reply. "Let's head back inside, the others are probably wondering where we are" the blonde young man said and the two headed back inside the hotel.

The next day the pilots all returned to the Ceres and gathered on the bridge where Captain Phillips waited to give them the ship's orders. "Welcome back everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your vacation. Now however, it's time to get back to work" the black-uniformed man spoke, looking between his pilots and seeing the renewed determination in their eyes.

"What are our orders Captain?" Hilde asked, looking at Richard.

"I don't know if you know about this Hilde, but Purity has constructed their own mass driver on a large artificial island to the east of Orb. We're tasked with moving out alongside the Izanami and heading to destroy the mass driver and the island it was constructed on. It is imperative that we succeed so that we can deal a major blow to Purity's space campaigns" Richard explained.

"I know Purity have a mass driver in Africa but I wasn't aware of this one, it must be something they've only just finished" Hilde commented.

"We were only alerted to this when Orb forces witnessed a large number of shuttles launching from it earlier today. Admiral La Flaga will be joining us on this mission seeing how important it is, so he will be providing assistance on the battlefield should he deem it necessary" Richard explained to the pilots. "It will take us about two days to reach the battle zone, so you have today to prep your machines and prepare for the battle. The mass driver will most likely be heavily guarded so be prepared for a difficult fight" the Captain added. He dismissed the pilots and watched as the group left the bridge, headed for the hangar.

"So we're finally going on a real offensive against Purity… about time they're taking us off defense" Marcel commented.

"Oh Marcel, I forgot to tell you something. We're receiving two more pilots for our squad. They'll be part of the Izanami's crew but I want you to head over there when they arrive as sort of an ambassador for our ship" Aston explained, walking ahead of Marcel.

"What? Who is it, and why does it have to be me?" Marcel asked, moving up so he was walking level with the Commander.

"I'm not entirely sure who it is, I didn't choose you anyway, Captain Phillips did" Aston replied. "They'll be arriving on the Izanami at 1300 hours today, head over in the Chaos a little earlier" he added.

"Fine, I'll be there" Marcel said with a sigh. The group of pilots arrived in the hangar and each boarded their machines. Garret booted up the systems of the Duel and watched as the screen lit up and watched it go through the start-up sequence.

"I'm back partner" Garret said, placing his hand on the main screen. "We've got a big battle ahead of us, it's gonna be rough" he told his Gundam. "I think since we'll be fighting a large amount of enemies I might have a frag grenade loaded onto the rifle. Since it'll be a long battle I'll have to be careful I don't expend my battery too quickly, I might have to see if there are any physical weapons onboard that I can take out with me" Garret thought to himself as he rapidly typed away on the keyboard, making sure all of the systems were working as normal.

**Just as a little side not for any who didn't pick up on it. The song that Aston sung was the english lyrics to the first opening of Gundam SEED and the song that Garret sung was the english lyrics to Yzak Joule's character song.**


	7. Chapter 7

As the hours proceeded, Marcel walked the Chaos to the catapult and readied it for launch. "Commander, I'm heading over to the Izanami now" he spoke. Aston gave his consent and Marcel launched from the Ceres. The Izanami was sailing a decent distance ahead of the Minerva-class so Marcel activated his mobile armour form for the flight. Once he reached the large aircraft carrier he transformed his machine again and landed on the deck. He opened the cockpit and lowered himself to the ground on the zip line. He was greeted by Atticus and Dante, the latter in his flight suit for reasons unknown to Marcel.

"So they sent you over to greet the new guys?" Dante asked as the three stood around on the deck.

"Yeah, I'm not sure why Commander Falcon didn't just come though" Marcel sighed, slightly irritated to have to do the job.

"Whether you like it not, you were given the job and as soldiers we do as we're told" Atticus spoke, toying with a silver coin in his hand. "That would be the transport ship now" the Orb pilot said, pointing to an Aegis-class ship that had hardly appeared on the horizon.

"Wow, you have really good eyes, I can barely see them" Marcel commented.

"I'm a sniper after all, in a mobile suit and on foot, sighting distant targets is my job" Atticus replied.

"So you guys stole your Gundams from Purity right?" Dante asked Marcel. Marcel nodded and Dante laughed in response. "It's pretty funny that you're using their own weapons to beat 'em" Dante laughed. Marcel saw the irony in the point he made. As the Aegis-class ship came up alongside the Izanami, Marcel saw two pilots board the aircraft carrier and head towards them. One was another ZAFT soldier and the other an EAF soldier. As the two pilots came closer they removed their helmets. The EAF pilot was a young woman with short black hair with purple streaks. Her grey eyes looked between the three gathered pilots and glanced briefly at the Chaos standing to the side. Marcel's eyes widened when he saw the ZAFT pilot remove their helmet. It was a tall young man with spiked black hair that hung just below the base of his neck and a pair of sapphire blue eyes that stared at Marcel. A dark scar ran horizontally across his cheek and stopped just below the corner of his lip.

"I am Elisa Marion from the Earth Alliance Forces, pilot of a Slaughter Dagger" the young woman spoke with a salute. Her voice was mature and serious and her eyes never stopped examining the three pilots before her. Next the ZAFT soldier stepped forward.

"My name is Lucian Williams from ZAFT, I pilot a DOM Trooper" the black haired pilot said, saluting. Lucian suppressed a smile as he saw numerous emotions flash across Marcel's face; surprise, anger, relief, Lucian knew he wouldn't hear the end of this for a while.

"I am Atticus von Schwarzlang, welcome to the Izanami" Atticus spoke, saluting both of the pilots. "This is Dante Wolf, another pilot for this ship" Atticus said, motioning to the pilot on his right.

"My name is Marcel North; I am one of the pilots of the Minerva-class ship, Ceres. I welcome you on behalf of Captain Phillips and Commander Falcon" Marcel spoke, trying not to lash out at Lucian.

"While you machines are loaded onboard, please feel free to look around the ship, I can show you around if you'd like" Atticus spoke. Elisa took Atticus' offer and the two proceeded inside the ship. Marcel and Lucian stood in silence, their eyes on each other.

"So, how's it going?" Lucian asked, breaking the silence after a minute or so.

"We're in the middle of a war, how do you think things are going?" Marcel commented.

"True. So that Chaos over there, is that yours?" Lucian asked, motioning to the grey Gundam standing to their right.

"Yeah, I got it not too long ago after my ZAKU was trashed in a fight with the Tyranny" the brown haired pilot explained.

"That black and red Freedom?" the DOM pilot asked, unconsciously rubbing the scar on his cheek.

"You know it?" Marcel asked and Lucian nodded.

"The pilot of that thing gave me this scar" Lucian said. "My ship got into a fight with him just after the Perth conflict and suffice to say, it didn't go to well. I made the mistake of getting to close and he got me. Luckily he only nicked my cockpit, but my survival was at the cost of one of my comrades" he explained.

"I see… we almost lost Garret at Perth, he was captured by Purity but he managed to escape. Now we also have an ex-Purity pilot on the ship, she helped us all get our Gundams" Marcel explained.

"Seems like a lot has changed since I left you guys. Especially you" Lucian commented. The two spent half an hour talking and explaining to Dante how they had been comrades before the anti-Purity squad. After they had been talking for a while, Marcel climbed back into his machine and closed the hatch.

"I guess I'd better head back, everyone is probably expecting me" he said, turning on the Chaos' Phase Shift. He lifted off from the Izanami and returned to the Ceres. He landed in the hangar and was greeted by Commander Falcon.

"So what are the new pilots like?" Aston asked, watching as the Chaos pilot descended to the floor.

"One of them was an Earth Forces pilot and I think you already know who the other was" Marcel commented in response. Aston couldn't help but grin and Marcel shook his head with a smile.

"You'll be happy to be fighting alongside him again won't you?" Aston asked.

"It'll be just like when we started out on this mission, we'll have the whole team back together again" Marcel said and Aston nodded.

"You should get some rest, we're having the mission briefing onboard the Izanami tomorrow morning" Aston spoke and Marcel nodded, leaving the hangar. Aston proceeded to the bridge and sat down behind Richard.

"So, how'd he take it?" the Captain asked, turning to look at Aston.

"I think he's happy, those two are as close as brothers and I think Marcel is relieved to be able to fight with him again" the Commander spoke in response. "I think we all we be" the white uniformed man added. The next morning came and the Ceres pilots as well as Captain Phillips went over to the Izanami and gathered in the briefing room with the Orb ship's pilots and Admiral La Flaga. Richard and Mu stood at the front of the room and waited for everyone to take their seats and become settled. Garret, Marcel and Victoria all made sure to sit with Lucian.

"So as you all know, our mission is to destroy the Purity mass driver on their artificial island. For this battle you will be split into two groups. One group will travel along the ground in their mobile suits and take out the island's command centre and then proceed to attack the mass driver itself. The other will battle Purity's forces in the air to cause a distraction for the ground group to proceed with little interruption" Admiral La Flaga explained, looking at the group of pilots. Richard flicked a switch on the panel before him and a map of Purity's artificial island appeared on the screen behind himself and the Admiral.

"The ground squad will start from here" Richard spoke, tapping the south-west corner of the map. "This squad will consist Garret, Aston, Lucian and Atticus" Richard explained and each of the pilots nodded as their names were spoken. "You will move through the streets and head for the command centre near the centre of the island. We expect there will be a defense force of some degree stationed there, so you will need to eliminate them and then destroy the building. After doing this you will head to the mass driver itself and attack that along with the diversion squad" the Captain continued.

"The diversion squad's job is to more or less attack any Purity suits you can hit and destroy any of their hangars to halt deployment of their forces. You are to do this until the command centre is destroyed and then you are to head to the mass driver and assist with its destruction" Mu explained and the pilots nodded in understanding. "Are there any questions?" he asked. Everyone had the same question on their mind but it was Garret who asked it.

"What do we do if the Tyranny shows up?" he asked and an uneasy silence enveloped the room.

"For now, I would ask that should the Tyranny appear you are to retreat immediately. Do not engage that mobile suit" Admiral La Flaga spoke. "I know that the pilots of the Ceres have Gundams now but I do not believe it is enough to stand up to the Tyranny, I can tell you for certain that it is more powerful than the standard Freedom" he explained. "This mission will take place at 0900 hours tomorrow, you all need to be ready and be onboard your machines at 0830 hours" the Admiral explained.

"Also, the pilots of the diversion team will launch from the Izanami so you will need to be on that ship by 0800 hours tomorrow morning, the ground team must be on the Ceres by the same time" Richard spoke and the pilots all nodded. "You're all dismissed" the ZAFT Captain spoke and all of the pilots left the room.

"Hey Garret, do you wanna come hang out with Lucian and I?" Marcel asked, running up to his friend. Garret smiled but shook his head.

"Sorry, but not now. I want to make sure there are no problems with Duel. Maybe later" the blonde pilot spoke, walking away from Marcel.

"So he's still Captain Serious huh?" Lucian asked the Chaos pilot.

"He's been really laid back lately, I haven't seen him like this for a while" Marcel commented. "He must just be tense because of the mission" the brunette boy continued.

Garret sat in the cockpit of the Duel onboard the Ceres, typing away at lightning speed on the keyboard. "If the Tyranny shows up, we're supposed to retreat? Not a chance in hell, I'm gonna shot that guy down" Garret spoke quietly to himself. "I won't let him get away again" he said. He put the keyboard away and placed his hands on the joysticks. He gripped them tightly and took a deep breath, his eyes closing. His eyes opened quickly when Aston's face popped up on his screen. "Commander" Garret spoke with a small nod.

"How is your suit?" Aston asked, typing on his keyboard instead of looking at his subordinate.

"Everything seems to be working normally, although I'll have to remain without my phase shift on until we actually get into combat, I can't afford to waste the battery" Garret replied, leaning back in his chair.

"That sounds like a good plan, you just stay in the centre of the group so you don't get shot before you can activate it. I'd say myself and Lucian will take the lead with you behind us and Atticus behind you" the Commander explained. "You seem tense, is everything ok?" the Commander asked.

"Yes sir. It's just a pretty serious mission and we can't really afford to screw it up" Garret replied.

"That is true, just make sure you get some rest beforehand otherwise you will screw up" Aston warned. "Don't worry about Victoria either, Hilde and Marcel will make sure nothing happens to her. Even without them, she's developed into quite a fine pilot, don't you agree?" the white uniformed man asked.

"Yeah, she's gotten really good" Garret replied. The two continued their idle chat for an hour or so before Aston decided to leave his machine. Garret however remained in his Gundam, simply staring at the console. Garret's eyes opened when he heard Hilde's voice outside his cockpit. He hadn't noticed that he'd fallen asleep.

"Are you alright in there? Everyone's been looking for you" Hilde said, she was crouched on the edge of the open cockpit. "When you didn't show up to dinner Victoria started getting a little worried out so I came to look for you" the purple haired young woman explained.

"Sorry, I guess I just fell asleep. What time is it?" Garret asked, rubbing his eyes gently.

"It's seven-thirty" Hilde replied and Garret sat up a little straighter. "Come get some dinner, you need to eat" Hilde spoke, climbing down from the cockpit, Garret following after.


	8. Chapter 8

Garret ate his dinner and then proceeded to his room with Victoria. "So you feel asleep in your Gundam huh?" she said with a little giggle. Garret nodded in reply. "That sounds like you" she spoke, looking around his room. Her eyes stopped at his desk, spying the photograph of Garret, Aston and Cecil. Garret watched as the female pilot walked over his desk and looked at the photo. "Is this Cecil?" she asked, pointing at the pilot that was unfamiliar to her.

"Yeah, that was taken just after I became a red" Garret said, walking to join her.

"The three of you look so happy, Commander Falcon hasn't changed at all" Victoria spoke. "Are you worried about tomorrow?" she asked her friend, turning to face him as she leant on his desk a little.

"A bit yeah, are you?" Garret asked in reply. Victoria nodded. "Everything will be fine though, if you're in trouble, I'll come running" the blonde pilot spoke.

"You'll only come running cause you can't fly" Victoria said, poking her tongue out. The two laughed loudly as they moved over to Garret's bed and sat down. Victoria leant to the side, resting her head on Garret's shoulder.

"It'll all be fine" Garret spoke, running his hand over her long hair.

Garret's eyes opened when his alarm went off the next morning. Again, he hadn't remembered falling asleep. He looked beside him and saw Victoria asleep, her hand in his. He smiled and gently shook he shoulder. Her eyes opened slowly and she groaned, slightly annoyed. When she realized where she was her eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright, her hair all over the place. "I…I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep in here!" she said flustered.

"It's ok, but we need to get to our machines and you need to go over to the Izanami" Garret said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He looked down and noticed he'd fallen asleep in his uniform. He slipped on his boots and got to his feet. He turned and saw Victoria still sit on the bed, looking around. "There's a brush in my draw if that's what you're looking for" the blonde pilot commented, motioning to his desk. He walked to the door as she got up and headed for the desk. "Everything will be fine out there; I promise I'll protect you if anything happens" Garret said looking at her, his eyes serious.

"I know" Victoria said quietly.

"I'll see you out there" Garret said, leaving the room and running towards the hanger. He glanced down at the white watch around his wrist, seven-thirty the screen showed and Garret slowed as he reached the locker room. Marcel was already in there, just zipping up his flight suit.

"Morning Garret" the brown haired young man spoke, grabbing his helmet.

"Morning" Garret said after a short yawn. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand as he opened his locker. "Good luck out there, don't get shot down" the blonde boy said as he slowly changed into his flight suit.

"Same goes for you, I'm not coming down to save you" Marcel said with a grin and Garret smiled in response. "Is four people going to be enough? Maybe I should join you" he said as they walked into the hangar.

"You know you can't. We all have our role to play in this battle and yours will be flying around up there blowing holes in Purity mobile suits" Garret spoke.

"Well when you put it that way, how could I refuse that role?" Marcel asked as he climbed into the Chaos. Garret went to get into the Duel when he heard Victoria call out behind him. The blonde boy turned as Victoria ran up to him, her long hair tied in a bun.

"Is everything ok?" Garret asked. Victoria took a moment to catch her breath before she spoke.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just forgot something" Victoria said. Garret tilted his head slightly, confused at what she meant. The brunette girl quickly leant up and kissed Garret. She pulled away from him and smiled at the blushing pilot. "I love you" she said quietly before running to the Strike. Garret smiled and got into the Duel's cockpit and closed the hatch. He watched as the Chaos, Saviour and Aile Strike all left the hangar, heading over to the Izanami. Only a few minutes later Lucian's DOM Trooper and Atticus' M1A Astray walked into the hangar of the hangar.

The four pilots spoke amongst each other from their suits until the time to launch arrived. "The Ceres has arrived at the launch zone, all pilots head out immediately" Richard's voice spoke to the mobile suits. Aston's Sword Calamity was the first on the catapult; the pilot closed the visor on his helmet and gripped the controls.

"This is Aston Falcon, Sword Calamity Gundam, engage!" the crimson haired pilot called as his silver and black Gundam shot out of the ship. Next onto the catapult was Lucian.

"Lucian Williams, DOM Trooper, tearing up the battlefield!" the black haired pilot called and his black and purple suit joined Aston. Atticus' Astray was quickly loaded onto the catapult.

"Atticus von Schwarzlang, M1A Astray, sighting the enemy" the Orb pilot spoke, clearly not as gung-ho as the others as his suit was flung out onto Purity's artificial island. Garret closed his eyes as his suit was carried to the catapult.

"Let's kick ass, Garret Kross in the Duel Gundam, soar!" he called as the grey mobile suit rocketed out of the ship, a new energy seeming to envelop the mobile suit as it descended from the air and landed near Atticus' machine.

"There's no time to waste, let's move" Aston said as himself and Lucian moved forward. Garret quickly glanced into the sky where he could already see explosions. He took his eyes away from the blue expanse and walked away with his comrades, Atticus close behind. The Orb pilot's face appeared on Garret's screen, covered by his custom blue and white Orb flight suit.

"Just a warning, if I tell you to get out of the way, you'd best do it if you don't want to be shot" Atticus warned calmly. Garret knew it wasn't intended as a threat but the Orb pilot's tone still sounded rather off putting.

"I'll keep that in mind" Garret responded just before Atticus closed the communication. The four moved forward through the streets between all of the hangars and workshops. The island was unnaturally quiet, there seemed to be nobody around even though the fight had only just started. "Where is everyone?" Garret asked, looking around.

"There's a good chance they're probably already evacuating to get to any ships heading for space" Lucian commented as his DOM hovered across the ground, scanning it's bazooka around. Atticus raised his sniper rifle and gazed through the scope, looking ahead of the DOM and Sword Calamity.

"There are people running up ahead, Lucian is probably right" the Orb pilot spoke, lowering his gun.

"We need to be careful of any enemies hiding around corners, don't let your guard down" Aston spoke, drawing both of his swords as he walked. The group proceeded at a steady pace, weaving through buildings as the battle raged in the sky above them.

Marcel flew forward, his beam sabres slicing through the torso of a Windam. He spun around and sent out his gunbarrels, blasting several holes in the body of a Murasame heading for the ground group. "I won't let any of you touch them" he said as his gunbarrels returned. He saw Victoria engaged in a sword fight with a GOUF, he watched as the two clashed their weapons several times, sword against beam sabre. As the GOUF attacked with a high, vertical swing the Strike raised its shield and blocked the attack before Victoria nimbly sliced through the waist of the blue mobile suit. "She's gotten good" Marcel said with a few nods before he turned his attention to a number of incoming suits. The pilots from the Izanami stuck together, moving in an arrowhead formation and dispatching any enemies they passed.

"Marcel, above you!" Hilde called. Marcel looked up as a GOUF was descending upon him. He tried to raise his shield but Hilde fired her beam rifle into the Purity suit's sword arm, destroying it. Marcel then flew up and impaled the cockpit with his sabre.

"Thanks for the save" Marcel spoke as the Saviour reached the Chaos and both Gundams transformed into their mobile armour forms. The Izanami and Ceres supported the mobile suits with covering fire from the edge of the island as well as taking out any suits that got too close.

"There's not as many mobile suits as I thought there'd be. Where are they all?" Hilde asked, shooting down a BABI and a Slaughter Dagger with her plasma cannons.

"Maybe there's just not many stationed here" Marcel replied, avoiding shots from several enemy suits.

"I doubt that, this place would be a pretty significant location and Purity always over guards everything" Hilde said, her tone sounding a little worried. As if to answer her question, the island's mass drive came to life and the pilots watched as an Agamemnon-class ship shot along it.

"Hilde, Marcel, shoot that ship down!" Captain Phillips' voice called over the radios of the two Gundams. The Chaos and Saviour flew quickly towards the mass driver as the large carrier ran along it. Their path was barred however by a group of four Saviour Gundams all in mobile armour form.

"Well crap…" Marcel muttered, transforming into mobile suit form and pulling out his rifle. Before he could take aim, the four Gundams were upon him and Hilde. One of the Saviours slammed into the Chaos' torso, sending the green Gundam tumbling down towards the ground while the other three went after Hilde. The purple haired pilot ascended higher into the air, weaving from side to side to avoid the attacks of the Purity suits.

"Dammit, where did they come from?!" Hilde roared, trying to find an opening to fight back. She felt her Gundam shake as one of the plasma beams tore through her left wing. "No!" she screamed as her Gundam started spiraling downwards and the enemy Saviours transformed, taking aim with their rifles. Marcel's eyes looked up, seeing his ally spiraling downwards and the enemies aiming at her.

"Hilde! I won't let you… touch her!" Marcel roared. The pupils of his emerald eyes dilated and his Chaos suddenly came to life. As he flew forward, his beam rifle came up and fired and the rightmost Purity Saviour. The beam tore through the Gundam's chest and destroyed it. The Saviour next to the one that exploded turned on Marcel and flew down at him. "I'll kill you" Marcel said quietly. His gunbarrels flew out and fired a barrage of missiles into the Gundam. The Saviour's phase shift armour protected it, but Marcel flew through the smoke cloud the explosion left and rammed his sword through the Purity mobile suit's cockpit. He left the weapon in as the red Gundam exploded and then flew for the remaining two suits as his gunbarrels returned. Marcel saw Hilde land in mobile suit form and the remaining two Purity Gundams came after the Chaos now.

Marcel transformed the Gundam and flew at the two Saviours, the thrusters on the gunbarrels giving him extra speed. As he reached the Gundams, they attempted to fly to either side of the Chaos; however Marcel reached out with the two claws and grabbed both of his enemies by the waists. He activated the beam claws and cut both of the Saviours clean in half. Hilde watched as the four sections of the two Gundams fell and exploded and Marcel's Chaos floated in the air. "Marcel…" she said quietly.


	9. Chapter 9

The ground group reached the island's command centre in time to see six Windams flying away towards the mass driver. Atticus and Lucian quickly dispatched three of them before the others got out of site. "Forget them, we have a more important mission" Aston said, turning to the large six story building that was the island's command centre. "Head for the mass driver, I'll take out the command centre" Aston said, walking towards it. The other three mobile suits quickly ran in the direction of the giant ramp as Aston started hacking away at the building with his sword.

"No!" Garret called, causing the other pilots to look at where his Duel was looking. At the top of the mass driver, just getting into the air was a familiar Archangel-class ship, the Cherubim. "Atticus, shoot it!" the blonde pilot roared. The Astray raised its sniper rifle and fired several shots at the fleeing ship, only two hit and both did only minor damage to the ship's hull.

"It's moving too fast" Atticus said as he lowered his rifle. Garret ran forward, engaging his phase shift and firing his rifle at the Cherubim, even though none of the shots reached the ship before it vanished.

"Dammit… so they were here" Garret sighed, lowering his gun. The pilots of both the Ceres and Izanami proceeded to eliminate any remaining Purity forces and take out the mass driver before returning to their respective ships. Garret stood in the locker room of the Ceres, his head against the cold door of his locker.

"Don't feel bad Garret, it's not your fault. They've probably been getting ships out of there for the last few days and they probably had submarines stationed in the ocean that told them we were coming. We couldn't have stopped that ship from launching" Aston spoke, placing a hand on his old friend's shoulder.

"But now the Tyranny is in space. They could be heading for the PLANTs!" Garret said, turning to Aston.

"Should that happen, I'm sure Chairwoman Clyne will find a way to stop it" the Commander spoke. "Besides that, there is no guarantee that the Tyranny was on board that Archangel-class" he said. As the two of them left the locker room.

"Excuse me Commander" Hilde said, walking over to the red-haired man.

"What is it Hilde?" Aston asked.

"I'd like to submit a mission plan to Admiral La Flaga. I think it would be worthwhile moving to attack Purity's African mass driver" the young woman explained.

"That may be a good idea, but I think it would be better to wait for a bit first. Having just destroyed this base, Alastair will most likely have increased defence around the African mass driver in expectation of an attack" the Commander replied. "However feel free to submit the mission plan to the Admiral anyway, we may be able to use it later" he continued. Hilde nodded and headed for the bridge.

"If you'll excuse me Commander, I need something to eat" Garret said, saluting Aston and walking away from the man. The blonde pilot walked to the cafeteria and slumped down on one of the seats with a meal tray.

"You look about as great as me" Marcel spoke, sitting down next to Garret. Garret's forehead fell to the table and he raised a hand in greeting. "It really sucks that we couldn't stop those two damn ships… If those Saviours hadn't showed up, Hilde and I could've gotten that Agamemnon-class" the brown haired pilot sighed.

"What happened with that? I saw them show up and then next time I looked over they were gone" Garret asked, turning his head on its side to look at Marcel.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I was falling after one of them rammed me, I remember thinking that I wouldn't let them get Hilde and then I just kind of zoned out. After that, the next thing I knew I was flying down to Hilde" Marcel explained.

"That same sort of thing has happened to me twice. It happened when I escaped from the Purity base in Sydney and then again in that last fight against the Tyranny" Garret explained, sitting up straight.

"Maybe we're just that awesome we kick ass without even realizing it" Marcel said with a grin.

"Yeah, well we are pretty damn awesome" Garret commented, poking at the beef on his tray with his fork. Victoria and Hilde entered the cafeteria and sat opposite the two boys with their own meals.

"I can't believe that stupid GOUF got my leg" Victoria sighed, staring at her meal.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Garret asked, looking at Victoria.

"Yeah I'm ok, one of the GOUFs got behind me and destroyed the lower part of my left leg with its whip" the brunette girl explained. "Don't worry, I'm not injured or anything" she added with a gentle smile.

"If it wasn't for Marcel's skills I probably wouldn't be sitting here with you all right now" Hilde spoke, smiling at the brown haired boy. "I don't know what happened to you out there, but I'm glad it did" she added.

"Even I don't know what happened…" Marcel said. Before the conversation could continue, the Ceres suddenly shook violently.

"Oh for crying out loud, what now?!" Garret said loudly, getting to his feet.

"Garret and Marcel board your machines and launch immediately" Richard's voice spoke over the ship's loudspeaker. Garret and Marcel ran from the cafeteria and down to the hangar. Both chose not to waste time changing into their flight suits and climbed straight into their Gundams. The Chaos launched first followed quickly by the Duel riding on a Guul. "A Purity force that evaded our detection back at the island is attacking us. There are six fighter planes, three DINNs and two BABIs. Atticus and Dante will be helping you" Richard explained. Dante's GOUF joined with the Chaos and Duel and the Ceres pilots could see the Astray standing on the Izanami.

"These Purity bastards are getting ridiculous" Dante said, drawing his sword and engaging the two beam blades. He and Garret flew towards the enemy mobile suits while Marcel headed closer to the Izanami to assist Atticus. "Show me what that Gundam can do!" Dante called as he sliced through the main body of one of the DINNs. Garret turned the other way and fired a number of missiles from the Guul and destroyed three of the fighters. He used the Duel's Igelstellungs and destroyed a fourth and the other two quickly fell back, only to fall prey to Marcel's gunbarrels.

"I'll cut you down!" Garret yelled, flying forward and shooting through one of the DINNs with his rifle. A beam flew past him and destroyed one of the BABIs. Garret glanced back and saw Atticus already lining another shot. "He's good" the blonde pilot spoke, raising his shield to bloke several shots from the remaining BABI. Dante lashed out with his heat whip, wrapping it around the torso of the last DINN before tightening the weapon and crushing the midsection of the mobile suit. "Dante, catch me!" Garret called. He leapt off his Guul just as the BABI fired, destroying the small craft. Garret fell through the air, his back to the ocean below. "Three… two… one" he spoke, firing a shot from his rifle just as Dante's GOUF caught him. The BABI exploded and Dante dropped Garret off at the Ceres as Marcel returned.

"Are we actually going to get a break now?" Marcel groaned as he walked the Chaos to its place in the hangar. To the relief of the crews of the two ships, their journey back to Orb was uninterrupted. Both the Ceres and Izanami docked at Onogoro and the pilots along with Richard and Mu gathered in one of the outside areas of the military base.

The group all waited expectantly as Captain Phillips and Admiral La Flaga spoke quietly away from them. The two seemed to come to an agreement and then joined the pilots. "We've decided that before we do anything else, this little group needs a name" Mu spoke rather cheerfully, looking between the pilots seated on the grass before him. "Does anyone have any ideas?" he asked.

"Me! Let's call ourselves the Obliterators!" Dante said with a huge grin.

"Idiot. That sounds too evil, we're not gonna fly under that name" Cassandra spoke, shaking her head at her comrade.

"Aww, you're no fun" the ZAFT pilot pouted. The group tried numerous suggestions for about ten minutes with no avail.

"How about Heaven's Blade?" Aston suggested, looking between the others. Everyone thought for a second, toying with the name in their minds.

"Sounds pretty badass to me" Lucian commented and everyone seemed to agree.

"Well then, Heaven's Blade it is" Mu spoke, liking the name himself. "Now, onto a more serious matter. Due to the successful destruction of the Purity mass driver, let's just say, Mr. Alastair isn't too happy with us. He sent some video messages to the leaders of all three groups, the EAF, ZAFT and Orb stating that he would be sending squads of his best pilots to avenge the lives lost on the island" the Admiral spoke, looking between the pilots before him who listened intently. "The PLANTs have stated that they are able to defend themselves however the nations of the Earth Alliance Forces as well as Orb have requested some assistance from us. For that reason, the Ceres will remain here in Orb while the Izanami will head to London where we believe Purity is planning to attack the EAF" the blonde man explained.

"Do we know how long we have before Purity attacks?" Garret asked in response.

"We're not entirely sure, so until the attacks commence, everyone is to be on maximum alert" Mu replied. "Orb has stated that they will assist in any repairs needed for the Ceres and its mobile suits in return for our help" he continued.

"Well then, let's all head back to the ship and get ready" Aston spoke, motioning for the pilots of the Ceres to stand.

"Same goes for my pilots, return to the Izanami, we're moving out immediately" Mu spoke. All of the pilots returned to their respective ships and the crew of the Ceres watched the Izanami depart.

Hilde sat on the open hatch of her Saviour, gazing out at the mechanics working in the hangar, making any necessary repairs to the Gundams. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until she was woken by Marcel. "Marcel?" the purple haired pilot groaned, her eyes trying to focus on his face.

"Just checking you're ok. One of the mechanics said he saw a stray leg hanging over the side of the hatch that hadn't moved for a while" Marcel said with a smile. Hilde rubbed her eyes and sat up. "It seems to be a thing for the pilots on this ship, we have a real bad habit of falling asleep in our machines without even realizing" he spoke, sitting next to her.

"What do you fight for Marcel?" Hilde asked, looking over at the young pilot. She knew she was a year older than Marcel but she didn't know much about his past or why he joined ZAFT.

"At first, I only joined the military because of my father. He's a commander in ZAFT and he wanted his only son to carry on his legacy, whatever that happens to be" Marcel explained, an irritated tone in his voice, "so at first I hated fighting, I mean I still do, but back then there seemed to be no good reason for it. I was just following my father's shadow. Now though, after seeing what I've seen and meeting the people I've met I just want to protect the people close to me. Garret, Victoria, you."

"You want to protect me?" Hilde asked. She'd never seen this side of Marcel before, he was serious and his eyes showed that he meant everything he said.

"Of course, you're my friend" he replied, shooting a warm smile her way. Hilde smiled back and the two sat on the Saviour, watching the green-clad mechanics work below them.

In his room, Aston sat on his bed in just the pants and boots of his uniform, a photo frame in his hand. In the photo stood himself in his old academy uniform next to a girl with long blonde hair in the same uniform. She had her arms around his neck and was smiling at him. Aston was smiling back and neither of them even noticed the camera. A single tear rolled down the crimson haired man's cheek as he looked at the old photo. "Zoe… I swear that for you I will end this war. No matter what it takes, I will bring peace to the Earth and to space so that you can rest in peace" he spoke, putting the photograph into his bedside drawer. "Every one of us fights for different reasons, to protect, to avenge, to atone. We all fight for these things because something lights that fire in us all. It may be human nature to fight for what we want, but there has to come a time where we lay down our weapons for good" Aston spoke, laying down on his bed.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days passed without incident. However on the fourth day, Alastair made good on his promise. The Ceres came alive when two Purity carriers were sighted off the coast of Orb. The order was issued and the pilots went to their machines. The battle plan was simple. The Gundams that could fly would go for the carriers while those that couldn't would stay on the mainland and protect it. The Chaos and Saviour took to the skies with the Ceres while the Duel, Sword Calamity and Launcher Strike stayed behind.

"Why can't they just give it up? They have ZAFT, Orb and the EAF united against them and they still fight… What for? Why can't they just surrender and leave this world in peace?!" Garret said, slamming his fist down on his console. He raised his rifle as several standard mass-produced suits broke through from Orb's sea defences. They weren't Gundams, Garret figured they'd be saving them. "I don't care how many you send, I'll shoot down every one!" he called, quickly dispatching two suits. The Astrays and Murasames around him struggled to keep pace as the Coordinator pilot destroyed enemy after enemy. The battle seemed fairly one sided with Purity's forces falling quickly and the carriers starting to fall back. Flares went up and the remaining Purity suits began retreating.

"Ha! That was easy, so much for Purity's best pilots" one of the Orb pilots laughed.

"Don't let your guard down, it could be a ruse!" Garret snapped, turning to the pilot's M1.

"Garret! Do you read me?" Aston's voice called over the Duel's radio, the urgency clear in his voice.

"Yes, what is it?" Garret asked in response.

"Victoria is under attack by four enemies, I'm sending her coordinates. Back her up immediately!" Aston called and Garret's eyes widened.

"Roger!" Garret said and his Duel ran. He glanced down, not too much power left he thought to himself. He rounded the ruins of a building and saw Victoria fighting three ZAKUs and a DINN. She had abandoned her Launcher pack and was down to only her Armour Schneider knives. "Victoria!" Garret roared, firing a shot that barely missed the closest ZAKU. That ZAKU as well as one of the others charged the Duel, their tomahawks raised. Garret threw his rifle and shield aside, drawing both beam sabres. He drove his right sabre through the cockpit of the first ZAKU and pushed it away as the second came. The green suit swung and struck the Duel just above the left elbow, shearing off everything below it. Garret didn't take the time to acknowledge the loss and drove his Gundam's knee up, staggering the ZAKU before he cut through its torso diagonally.

"Stay away!" Victoria screamed, slashing out with one of her knives, nicking the DINN's cockpit. Garret's eyes widened as he saw the Strike turn grey and the two Purity suits advance. The ZAKU's tomahawk took off the Strike's right arm before it shoulder barged the cockpit. It swung again and the Strike's right leg came off below the knee. As the Gundam fell the DINN fired it's shotgun from behind, wrecking the back of the Strike and forcing it to smash face-first into the ground.

"You bastards!" Garret roared, entering seed mode as he charged. The Duel's sabre sliced through the ZAKU and the green suit fell away and exploded. The Gundam's phase shift ran out and Garret grabbed one of the Strike's knives. He rammed the DINN, knocking it to the ground before repeatedly driving the knife into the suit's cockpit. As he came to his senses, Garret walked the Duel to the Strike and climbed out. He threw his helmet aside and ran to the Gundam, crawling under its raised shoulder. "Victoria!" he called, finding the emergency release for the cockpit and opening it as far as he could. He looked inside, able to get in and tears filled his eyes. He saw the red on the walls and Victoria's still form. He didn't even hear Aston or the medical team approach as the tears cascaded down his cheeks.

Garret stood outside the Ceres' medical bay, his head in his hands as he waited. "Shouldn't you go talk to him?" Hilde asked Marcel as the two watched from around the corner of the closest corridor.

"I wouldn't know what to say…" Marcel whispered, shaking his head sadly. The two watched as the doctor came out, wiping the sweat from his brow. They saw him talk with Garret and then walk away as the blonde pilot slumped down to the floor. Hilde nudged Marcel and the younger pilot rounded the corner and approached Garret. "What did he say?" Marcel asked, sitting down on the floor.

"Her injuries are bad but she should be ok. They've closed all the wounds but she's still unconscious, they're transferring her to one of Orb's hospitals" Garret spoke, his voice quiet and dull.

"It's good to know she'll be ok. Not to mention if she's in one of the hospitals here she'll be well looked after" Marcel said reassuringly.

"It's my fault. I should have been there, I should have moved faster" Garret spoke, tears appearing on his face again.

"It's not your fault Garret. You did everything you could, and what you did kept her alive. If not for you, she would have been killed out there. You saved her life" Marcel spoke. Garret didn't respond. He pulled his knees up to his chest and pulled his arms around them, lowering his head. "Come on, let's get you back to your room, we'll visit Victoria as soon as we can" Marcel spoke, getting to his feet and holding his hand out to Garret. The blonde pilot looked up, his eyes rimmed red. He reached out and took Marcel's hand, slowly getting to his feet.

"I thought I was going to lose her…" Garret spoke quietly as the two headed for Garret's room. "My mind went nuts when I saw her go down. I saw Cecil then I saw Victoria disappearing. I just thought, that I had to protect her, that I wouldn't lose another friend" he explained.

"You didn't. You protected Victoria, because of you she's going to be fine" Marcel said, trying to get his friend's mind back on track. When they reached Garret's room, Marcel opened the door, "Get yourself some sleep Garret, you need to rest" Marcel spoke. Garret nodded and walked inside. The door slid closed behind him and Garret sat down on the edge of his bed.

The blonde pilot let out a sigh and put his head in his hands. "Gundam, I will use it. The power to protect, I will not let Purity destroy this world. Together with the Duel, I will protect Victoria, the Ceres, everyone" Garret spoke looking up, his eyes burning with determination. "But will the Duel be strong enough? No… if I want to defeat the Tyranny I'm going to need something more powerful" Garret said, gazing at his laptop sitting on his desk. Garret let his mind wander for several hours before he finally fell asleep.

The next day Victoria was transferred to a hospital on the Orb mainland. The morale of the crew suffered but the ZAFT soldiers continued their work, repairing and restocking the ship and its mobile suits. Garret spent the majority of the following few days at the hospital, keeping Victoria company when she finally awoke. The others visited frequently, each spending time with their friend. The Ceres received word that the Izanami was heavily engaged with Purity forces in and around London but were given orders to remain in Orb for the time being.

Garret walked into the hospital room, the morning sun gently shining on Victoria who stood at the window. Her right arm was in a sling and her head bandaged. She also had a dressing on her left cheek and Garret had been told there were several more on her body. It was not the injuries that Garret noticed first however, it was Victoria's hair. The brunette locks that had hung almost halfway down the girl's back now stopped at her shoulders. As Victoria turned to face him, Garret was almost stunned when he didn't see the long hair spin with her.

"Nine thirty-two. You are two minutes late Mister Kross. I expect you to correct this in future" Victoria spoke as seriously as she could but Garret knew she was trying hard not to laugh.

"I apologise ma'am, it won't happen again" Garret said with a smile, gently hugging her while avoiding her injured arm.

"So, what do you think?" Victoria asked, putting her face right up to the blonde young man's.

"You mean your hair?" he asked in response and the girl nodded eagerly in response. "It looks nice, it really suits you" Garret said with a smile. Victoria's face lit up and the two sat on the bed.

"They said I can go back to the Ceres tomorrow morning. But no mobile suits until my injuries are fully healed" she explained, staring out the huge window.

"That's good news. I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you back on board. That's after they all ask if you're okay half a million times" Garret said. Victoria laughed and nodded.

"I don't know what I'll be piloting when I'm recovered though, I'm sure my Strike is trashed" Victoria sighed.

"Hey, worry about that after you're better" Garret spoke, shaking his head. Victoria smiled and nodded.

"So has the ship been given any orders?" Victoria asked and Garret shook his head. "So we're still on standby huh? Well I guess it's a good thing, it means Purity isn't doing anything too major except for what's happening in London" the brunette spoke.

"I heard Aston and Captain Phillips talking. It sounds like Purity is planning something in space, so I think we might be going back up there soon. It would be nice to get a chance to return to the PLANTs. I'd like to fight Purity on our home ground" Garret said. Victoria looked at Garret, she could tell something had changed in him, he seemed more determined to fight then he had been before. Before the conversation could continue, Garret's phone began to ring. He flipped the device open and put it to his ear. "Garret speaking" he said. Victoria watched as he listened to the other end of the conversation. "Roger, we'll be there soon" he spoke and then hung up.

"We'll be there?" Victoria asked curiously.

"Commander Aston wants the two of us to head over to Morgenroete" Garret spoke.

"Thank god, I can get out of here for a bit" Victoria said with a sigh of relief. The two left the hospital and hired a car to take them where they needed to go. Once the two arrived at Morgenroete they were led to one of the hangars by one of the company's workers. Once inside they saw Aston and Richard talking to Chief Mechanic Erica Simmons.

"We're here sir" Garret said, saluting Aston and Richard. The two senior officers returned the salute.

"So you're Garret Kross. I've heard a lot about you. I've been examining your combat data from your Duel and the Ceres' databases, I have to say that you're quite pilot young man" Erica spoke, examining the red-clad young man.

"Um thank you, but I'm really nothing special" Garret said in response.

"Nonsense, you handle mobile suits like an extension of your own self and you have a knack for piloting machines that you've never even been inside before. Not to mention you also possess the seed, both you and Marcel North" Erica explained.

"The seed?" Garret asked.

"Oh, that's just what we call it. I'm sure you've noticed times when you seem to have blacked out but everyone else has said that it was like a different person in your mobile suit" Erica spoke, Garret nodded. "That is the seed, the ability for you to increase your natural abilities under certain conditions" the mechanic continued. "But that is not why I had you brought here, this is the reason" Erica said, waving her hand to a massive silhouette. The lights came on and Garret's eyes widened at what he saw.


	11. Chapter 11

A mobile suit which he had never seen before. The body was similar to that of the Duel but sleeker. He could see two large shapes on the back, wings, he figured. It had the typical 'V' shaped crest on its forehead that all Gundam's had. He was curious to see the true colours of the grey mobile suit before him. "A Gundam" was all Garret could manage to say.

"This is the HB-109G Paladin Gundam, your new machine" Erica spoke. Garret walked closer to the suit, he knew the eyes of his comrades were still staring at the grey figure.

"The Paladin Gundam… my machine…" Garret spoke. His fists clenched and he walked to the zip line hanging down from the open cockpit. He took hold and ascended, climbing through the hatch. He sat in the seat and closed the hatch before taking hold of the controls. He booted up the systems and the eyes of the Gundam shone green.

"Garret, can you hear me?" Erica spoke through the radio.

"Yes" Garret responded, getting a feel for the controls.

"If you don't mind, please take it outside for a test run" Erica instructed. Garret acknowledged the request and began moving the Paladin.

"It's far more responsive than the Duel" Garret pointed out, walking the Gundam outside into the open area of the facility. "Let's see your true colours" Garret spoke, flicking the switch labelled 'PS'. The grey of the Gundam instantly disappeared. The arms, legs and head of the Gundam turned dark blue and the torso turned black. The centrepiece of the Gundam's silver crest turned gold and the two wings on the back went silver. "Ok… this thing is officially the most awesome thing ever" Garret said. The Gundam's wings extended and the Paladin shot off into the air. "Holy crap this thing's fast" Garret exclaimed, swaying the suit from side to side with ease. He came to a quick stop and then turned back towards Morgenroete. When the Paladin landed, Erica came over the radio again.

"Could you please take it over to the Ceres? We'll have its equipment sent over later today" she spoke.

"Roger that. Please tell Victoria I'll see her back at the hospital" Garret responded. With that he took off into the air again, heading towards the Ceres. "This thing is nuclear powered so there's no way it'll run out of power anytime soon. The Paladin Gundam, with this I'll defeat the Tyranny and stop Purity's plans" Garret said. The blue and black Gundam landed in the Ceres' hangar and Garret almost laughed when all the mechanics came running over as soon as it was secured. He climbed out of the cockpit and heard Mister Farris yelling.

"Alright, none of you idiots touch it! We wait until Morgenroete gives us the specs on the thing before we do anything!" he yelled. Garret heard the disappointed groans coming from most of the mechanics and smiled. "So, this thing is yours huh Garret?" Farris asked.

"Yes, that's right. This is the HB-109G Paladin Gundam" Garret responded.

"I can tell just be looking, this thing is one hell of a machine" Farris spoke. "Nuclear powered?" he asked and Garret nodded. "Well, Purity is gonna be running scared when they see this thing. I'll keep the Duel ready to go just in case" Farris explained, patting Garret on the back.

"Thank you" Garret said before leaving the ship and heading back to the hospital. He spent over an hour telling Victoria about the Paladin and how amazing it was. All the female pilot could do was smile, realising just how much Garret loved his mobile suits. The next morning, Victoria returned to the Ceres and all of the pilots along with Captain Phillips gathered in the briefing room.

"First thing's first, welcome back Victoria. I know you won't be getting back in a mobile suit for a little while yet but it's good to have you back" Aston said with a smile. Everyone else nodded their agreement. "Now for our orders. We have reports from the PLANTs that Purity has established a small fleet that is returning to Earth. Our mission is to return to space and intercept this fleet with the help of a few ZAFT ships" Aston explained.

"Is that Archangel-class part of the fleet?" Marcel asked.

"The actual fighting strength of the Purity vessels is unknown. Unfortunately we are going in blind. All we know is that there are at least seven ships. It is a pretty good chance that a number of them will be carrying Gundams but again, their exact fighting strength is unknown" Richard spoke. He bought up an image on the screen with various blips on it. "We will be the only ship attacking the fleet head on, we will be supported by three Nazca-class ships which will attack from the rear once we launch our initial assault" he explained, motioning to each object as he mentioned it.

"That sounds rather straightforward. When do we leave?" Hilde asked, brushing the hair from her eyes.

"We'll be leaving at 1100 hours. All of you will be on standby in your mobile suits when we launch the ship since you will have to take off almost immediately after we get back into space" Aston explained. "Make sure to recalibrate your suits for space combat. That is all" the Commander continued before leaving the room with Captain Phillips.

"I guess we should probably get to our suits now then" Marcel said, looking at his watch. He and Garret got up and left the briefing room with Hilde and Victoria close behind.

"Don't worry, I'll shoot down twice as many for you" Hilde said to Victoria with a smile.

"Thanks Hilde" Victoria said with a small laugh. Garret, Marcel and Hilde all changed into their flight suits before heading into the hangar and climbing into their Gundams. Victoria climbed onto the open hatch of the Paladin and watched Garret work. "So what weapons does this thing have?" she asked.

"Let's have a look" Garret said, typing on the keyboard. "Two beam SMGs, hand grapples, CIWS and two Moralltach Valiant Swords" Garret listed.

"What the heck are Moralltach Valiant Swords?" Victoria asked.

"It looks like they're physical swords where the blades open and there is a Valiant cannon in the hilt. That's actually pretty cool, it's both a sword and a gun" Garret explained.

"Are you going to be alright out there? I mean this will be the first time you've really used this suit and it sounds like it will be pretty heavy fighting out there" Victoria asked, the worry clear in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine" Garret said with a smile. "I promise I'll be coming back in one piece" he added. The ship launched off Orb's mass driver on schedule and the pilots sat anxiously in their machines as the Ceres ascended into space. As Aston had predicted, the Purity fleet was already fairly close to Earth so the mobile suits had to launch immediately. Aston was first on the catapult and he quickly looked at what ships the Purity forces had.

"Four Agamemnon-class ships, three Laurasia-classes and one 250 metre-class. Eight in total. This is Aston Falcon, Sword Calamity, engage!" the crimson haired Commander called as he shot out onto the black battlefield. Hilde and Marcel quickly followed in the Saviour and Chaos, leaving Garret until last.

The Paladin Gundam was loaded onto the catapult and its weapons were loaded. The two swords being placed on the hips, the SMGs on the back of the waist and a shield on the left arm. "All systems green, everything looks good" Garret said, taking a deep breath. "Garret Kross in the Paladin Gundam, taking to the skies!" the blonde pilot called as his Gundam shot along the catapult. As soon as he left the ship, Garret extended the wings and turned on the phase shift. He looked ahead and saw Marcel already sending off his gunbarrels and Hilde flying through the enemies in her mobile armour form. Garret drew one of his Moralltachs with his right hand and quickly examined the weapon. "It's has the same Phase Cutter that my old GINN's sword used to have. I guess it needs it since it's a physical weapon" he noted.

He passed Aston with blinding speed and drove the point of his sword into an enemy ZAKU. The weapon tore clean through the torso and Garret continued onto the next enemy suit. He sliced through a Strike Dagger and then spun around, flicking a switch on his console. The blade of the sword opened outwards and slid back as a gun barrel appeared between the two halves. He aimed at a GOUF and pressed in the trigger on the underside of the hilt. He watched the yellow energy blast shoot from the barrel, between the two parts of the blade and then slam into the GOUF, destroying it. "Man this thing is awesome!" Garret cheered as he headed for the next enemy,

"I'm not going to be shown up by a lower ranked soldier" Aston said, taking out both of his boomerangs. He hurled them into the battle, letting them hit whatever target they found. As they returned he drew his right-hand sword and latched onto a nearby GINN with his left-hand rocket anchor. He pulled the mobile suit in and drove his sword through the GINN's cockpit before flinging it away with the anchor. The Calamity spread its arms and fired off its Scylla, taking out a number of Purity suits.

"Marcel, I'm gonna fly straight at that Agamemnon, cover me!" Hilde called as she flew past the Chaos.

"Roger that" Marcel spoke, deploying his gunbarrels. He made the two weapons spin around the centre of the Saviour's mobile armour form, firing off beams straight ahead. Marcel followed behind, taking out any suits at their sides with his beam rifle. Marcel stopped and returned his gunbarrels as Hilde transformed and destroyed the bridge of her targeted ship with her beam rifle. Marcel fired off a barrage of missiles into nearby Purity suits, creating a smokescreen. Both the Chaos and Saviour burst through the smoke in mobile armour form, Hilde shooting suits down with her cannons while Marcel grabbed closer suits with his claws and crushed them.

"Damn we make a good team" Hilde said. The ZAFT ships joined in the battle and the tides quickly turned against the Purity forces. Garret splayed the Paladin's left hand and fired the grapple cord from it. He wrapped it around a M1 Astray and flung the mobile suit into the open catapult of one of the Laurasia-class ships. He then opened his Moralltach and fired into the bridge. As the last of the Purity forces began retreating, Garret stopped the Paladin, wings outstretched as he watched.

"Nice flying out there Garret, that Gundam is amazing" Aston said, coming up level with the blue and black mobile suit.

"It handles like a dream; Orb sure knows how to build a good mobile suit" Garret spoke.

"The Cherubim is coming from nine o'clock, the Tyranny and a Verde Buster are with it!" Captain Phillips called to the Ceres' Gundams. The Saviour and Chaos joined the Paladin and Sword Calamity and watched the blue and silver Archangel-class ship approach.

"Hilde and I will attack the Verde Buster. Garret and Marcel, you two take the Tyranny" Aston instructed, readying his swords. The Cherubim arrived and within seconds the two Purity Gundams flew towards the Ceres pilots.

"Well now… what is that?" Xero asked, zooming in on the Paladin Gundam. "It must be a new model, I wonder if it belongs to that Duel pilot" he continued. "I don't particularly care what it is… it's not match for the Tyranny" Xero said with a smile, raising his beam rifle at the Paladin. The Sword Calamity and Saviour flew out to meet the Verde Buster and began fighting it.

"Allen! That's you in there isn't it?" Hilde called, pointing her beam rifle at the Buster.

"That voice… no, it can't be… Hilde?" Allen asked in response, his beam rifles aimed at both of his opponents. "It can't be, the Coordinators killed Hilde, how dare you try to trick me!" he roared, firing both guns at the Saviour. Hilde danced around the shots while Aston got in close. Allen boosted back and fired at the Sword Calamity.

"Allen, stop fighting, it is me!" Hilde called, blocking several shots from the Buster. "I joined these guys because Alastair tried to have me killed, he was just using us!" she continued. She saw the Verde Buster hesitate.

"That's a lie, if you are Hilde you'd never join the likes of ZAFT, and why would Lord Alastair try to have you killed?" Allen asked, firing his shoulder guns at Aston who unlike Hilde continued to attack. "Damn it, rack off!" Allen roared, quickly joining his rifles and firing a large beam at the Sword Calamity. Aston quickly ascended and then retreated back slightly.

"I don't think it's working Hilde, he seems to honestly think you're dead" the Commander spoke. Hilde sighed and gripped her controls tighter,

"Fine then" she said as she drew her beam sabre. She flew at the Verde Buster with Aston beside her. The two attacked with multiple fast sword attacks, causing the Buster to constantly retreat back. Hilde hurled her shield, slamming it into the head of the Buster. As the Gundam staggered she drew her second sabre and flew forwards. Aston fired off both of his rocket anchors and ensnared the Buster.

"Move dammit!" Allen roared, violently shaking the controls as Hilde approached. She raised both her sabres high and Allen closed his eyes, waiting for them to tear through his cockpit. The Saviour brought the sabres down on the Buster's shoulder joints, taking off its arms and leaving the Gundam defenceless. "What?" the Purity pilot spoke as Hilde opened her cockpit. He saw the red flight suit approaching him and he took out his gun. "Fine, I'll just kill that imposter and take her suit" he spoke, opening his own cockpit. He stepped onto the hatch, holding the inside of the cockpit with one hand and pointing his gun at the approaching pilot with his other.

"Allen" Hilde spoke as she touched down on the Buster's open hatch. She saw Allen's mouth open behind his visor, but the Purity pilot was at a loss for words. "It is really me. I swear to you that what I said before was true. You need to leave Purity before Alastair tries to have you killed as well" Hilde said, holding her old comrade's shoulder.

"But… you're supposed to be… what the hell is going on here?" Allen murmured, falling back towards his cockpit. "Why then? Why did Lord Alastair try to have you killed?" he asked, looking at the purple haired girl behind the visor.

"Because I hesitated. He wanted me killed because I began to realise how things really were so he figured my usefulness was at an end. That ZAFT pilot we held in Sydney was the one who saved me. He opened my eyes and now I am a pilot for Heaven's Blade, the anti-Purity group" Hilde explained. "Come with us Allen, I know they'll accept you on the Ceres" she continued.

"I… I want to. But I can't. I just can't fight alongside the Coordinators, not after what they did…" Allen spoke. "I'm sorry Hilde, but it's goodbye. Next time I will shoot you down" Allen spoke. He climbed into his cockpit and closed the hatch as the Heaven's Blade pilot jumped back and headed back towards the Saviour. "Cherubim, this is Allen. I've sustained heavy damage and am returning to the ship" he spoke as the Sword Calamity retracted its anchors. He engaged his thrusters and headed back to the Cherubim. "I'm sorry Hilde" he spoke as he flew away.


	12. Chapter 12

Garret and Marcel flew towards the Tyranny as it approached. "Garret, I'll keep him occupied while you go in to take him out" Marcel spoke.

"Roger that, be careful" Garret said, veering off to the side slightly.

"So the Chaos will be the distraction while that new one circles around behind me" Xero said, watching the two Gundams. A cold smile passed his lips and the eyes beneath his visor seemed to smile too. "Very well, I'll play your game" he said, flying at the green Gundam. He fired his rifle several times and watched as the Chaos easily moved around the shots. "Not bad, I wonder which of three he is from last time. The GOUF pilot perhaps?" Xero asked as he got closer to the Chaos. Marcel deployed his gunbarrels and fired several shots but the Tyranny blocked them with its shield. "Let's see how you do at close range" Xero said, putting away his rifle and drawing one of his sabres.

"So we're going in close" Marcel said, mimicking the Tyranny's movements. The two Gundams clashed sabres and Xero smiled. "You're not going to beat me!" Marcel roared, entering seed mode. The two flew back and forth, repeatedly clashing their weapons before the first real hit was made. Marcel came forward again but Xero went low and severed the Chaos' right leg. "Oh crap!" Marcel called. His gunbarrels quickly went to the Tyranny's sides and fired off their missiles. The attack staggered the Tyranny and blew the Chaos back. Marcel drew his rifle and fired into the smoke cloud with both the rifle and his two gunbarrels. Two beams flew out from the cloud and destroyed the gunbarrels before the Tyranny flew out towards Marcel, it's beam rifle in one hand and a sabre in the other.

"You're mine" Xero said as he drew his sabre back for a thrust. Marcel moved to the side barely in time, the edge of the beam sabre melting through his suit's hip. "Good reactions" Xero commented, quickly readying for an overhead strike. The Tyranny was suddenly slammed forward as the Paladin rammed shield-first into its back. "I almost forgot about you" Xero said, spinning around with his rifle ready, but the Paladin was already gone. A yellow beam blast shot past him from the right as Garret fired from his Moralltach.

"Marcel, head back to the Ceres, I'll handle it from here" Garret spoke as he too entered seed mode.

"Are you sure?" Marcel asked, panting.

"Yes, get back now! You're in no condition to fight" Garret ordered, throwing away his shield and taking out his second sword. The Tyranny responded by drawing its second beam sabre and the two flew forward, blocking and countering each other's blows.

"Tell me something, you're the one who was piloting that Duel last time I attacked this ship, am I right?" Xero asked as the two Gundams retreated away from each other.

"That's right, and this time I won't lose" Garret called, firing his Valiants. Xero flew around the shots and closed in on the Paladin.

"I admire your determination. Tell me your name so that I may remember the one pilot who actually gave me a challenge even after you die" Xero said, swinging at the blue and black Gundam.

"It's Garret Kross" Garret replied. He quickly put his swords away and took out his SMGs. He held up the silver weapons and let loose a hail of beam bullets towards the Tyranny. Xero flew around them with a few grazing his Gundam as he headed towards Garret again.

"I'm sorry that you have to die Garret, you really are a strong opponent" Xero said, a cold smile on his lips. He swung his sabre in a horizontal arc but the Paladin flipped upwards. "What?" Xero asked surprised, looking up.

"Don't count me out yet" Garret said as the Paladin hung upside-down and fired its SMGs. Xero tried to move but he was hit by a majority of the attack. Bullets ripping through the Tyranny's arms, legs and wings.

"No! This is impossible!" Xero roared, losing his usual composure. Garret jumped back when beams from the Cherubim's Gottfrieds passed between himself and Xero.

"Xero, return to the Cherubim immediately! We cannot lose the Tyranny!" Alastair's voice called over the Tyranny's radio.

"Roger that, disengaging" Xero called as he turned and began his retreat, sparks coming from all over his suit. Garret let out a sigh and relaxed at the Paladin's controls.

"I got him by surprise thanks to having an unknown suit. I think if I can get him away from that ship I can beat him" he said as he saw the return flares come from the Ceres. Garret turned his Gundam and returned to the ship as it made its way to the PLANTs.

-Purity's dreadnought, Crucifix-

Alastair and Allen watched as the door to the meeting room opened and Xero stepped in. His blonde hair hung loose and he was dressed in a black coat that covered anything beneath it. Allen always hated the visor that the Tyranny pilot wore, he hated not being able to see Xero's eyes. Xero leant against the far wall, arms folded and his visor looking towards Alastair.

"So Allen, you say that Hilde has betrayed us and joined the Coordinators and their little allies of justice?" Alastair asked, looking at the Verde Buster's pilot.

"Y…yes sir. I saw her with my own eyes. She pilots the Saviour from that Minerva-class" Allen replied, looking at the floor.

"I see, I know it must pain you to fight someone you were so close to. But unfortunately Hilde Regent has betrayed us and we must shoot her down. Soon my plan shall come to fruition and I need the two people I can trust the most at my side. I've seen myself that we are losing many of our soldiers, both in combat and out of it. Many are starting to see our cause as terrorism and are leaving our ranks" Alastair explained. "The siege in London is almost at an end, we will lose that fight. All of our terrestrial bases have been abandoned and all that remains of our forces are those on the Crucifix, the Cherubim and our other ships in this fleet" he continued.

"What you're saying is that we're losing" Xero stated, looking out the window of the room.

"No, we have not lost this fight yet Xero. All of this is part of my plan" Alastair responded.

"I'm sorry Lord Alastair but for once I agree with Xero. It honestly looks like we're losing this. Even with the Crucifix, if things keep going like they have been then we won't last much longer" Allen said, trying to avoid the black haired man's eyes. Alastair smiled and looked between the two pilots.

"Both of you need not worry. We will soon come under a full-scale attack by ZAFT, the EAF and Orb hoping to eliminate the last of our forces. But I cannot have you two worrying, as long as you fight with me, my plan shall be revealed and we will win this war" Alastair spoke.

"I'm honestly tired of your preaching Alastair. Your words will not sway us like the common people. You say you have some master plan that will take us to victory even though we are far overpowered and outnumbered. You expect us to fight without even knowing what this plan is and what role we are meant to play in it. I think you are just scared, you know that we've lost" Xero spoke, turning to face Alastair. His hands went to his visor and he removed it. For the first time, Allen saw Xero's eyes. The right one almost gold and the left sapphire blue. Those eyes stared at Alastair now, void of emotion and unwavering.

"Xero…" Alastair said, taken aback by the man's words. "I did not expect to hear such words from you…" he continued, at a loss for what to say.

"Don't worry, I will continue to fight for your petty cause. I vowed that my blade was to be yours and I shall keep my word" Xero said as he replaced his visor and strode from the room.

"Lord Alastair…" Allen began but the Purity leader raised his hand, his eyes facing the floor.

"Leave" Alastair spoke, his voice cold and threatening. Allen hesitated and then left the room, quickly heading for his quarters. "You bastard Xero!" Alastair roared, slamming his fist into the table. His expression became twisted and deranged as he took the ceramic vase that sat on the table. He hurled it across the room, causing it to shatter as it hit the wall. "The Naturals… Coordinators… I'll kill every single one of them and make them pay" he growled, his voice becoming low and ragged. "They will all pay for what they did to me!" he roared, flipping the table into the air. His fists clenched and his lips curled in rage as he stared at the wall, his breathing deep and slow. "Even you Xero, will pay for your insolence, my little puppet" Alastair said as a cruel smile came onto his lips and he began to laugh like a madman.


	13. Chapter 13

-PLANTs, the Ceres-

"Captain, we have reports that an Orb transport has arrived at the PLANTs and is carrying cargo for us" on of the bridge crew spoke, turning to Richard.

"Have them bring their cargo here. I wasn't informed of any of this" Richard grumbled, getting to his feet.

"Sir, they have requested that yourself, Commander Falcon and Marcel North are to visit the ship itself" the crew member explained, reading a transmission on the screen.

"Marcel? Right, inform them that we're on our way" Richard spoke, leaving the bridge. He gathered the two requested pilots and proceeded to the dock where the Orb transport waited. They proceeded onto the bridge and the captain lead them to a hangar at the closest base.

"We had this transferred to a hangar rather than keeping it on the ship. You were supposed to receive it at the same time as the Paladin but there were a few delays" the transport captain spoke as they approached a mobile suit. It had a frame vaguely similar to the Paladin but slightly bulkier. The head held the 'V' shaped crest that marked it as a Gundam. "This is the HB-738M Rebound Gundam, specially constructed for Marcel North" the captain spoke. Aston turned and saw Marcel's jaw drop and his eyes light up like a little child's in a candy store.

"Come on, go play with it. We all know you want to" Aston said with a laugh. Marcel took off like a bullet, clambering into the suit.

"We have also brought a modified Perfect Strike Gundam for Victoria Mays as well as some equipment to modify the Sword Calamity and Saviour" the transport captain said to Richard and Aston as Marcel closed the cockpit.

As Marcel booted up the suit, a video link with a mechanic on board the Orb transport was activated. The mechanic was an older man with wiry, grey hair and eyes that made him looked like he hadn't slept for several days. "So you're Marcel North?" the man asked in a gravelly voice.

"Um, yes sir" Marcel replied.

"The name's Gerald Harvest, I'm one of Morgenroete's chief engineers and the main developer of your Rebound Gundam" the older man spoke.

"May I ask why it's called the Rebound Gundam?" Marcel asked.

"That is because of the unique system that I developed for that mobile suit to use. It utilises thirty small Neptunis Redirection Mirrors or the Neptunis System which is deployed from the suit's shield. These mirrors are controlled by you and when a beam projectile is fired into one, the attack is absorbed into the mirror and you can fire it out of another" Gerald explained.

"Wow, that sounds… amazing" Marcel said, his eyes wide.

"The system does have its limits though. For one you can't use it on something like a beam sabre or boomerang, they will cut straight through the mirrors. Next, the further the projectile has to travel to its exit mirror, the weaker it becomes. Lastly the pilot has to be extremely focussed at all times to use the Neptunis System effectively" Gerald said, looking at Marcel through his monitor.

"I see" Marcel said as he typed away on the keyboard, bringing up a list of the Gundam's weapons. "Whoa, this thing is armed to the teeth!" Marcel exclaimed. "Two beam rifles, a beam pistol, two beam knives and the CIWS in the head. That's a lot of guns" he said.

"The Rebound can also use three pieces of optional equipment. The first is a linear boost pack which dramatically increases the suit's speed but only boosts it in a straight line. The next two are weapons, a beam shotgun and the Aphrodite Beam Gatling Cannon" Gerald said.

"Um, why is a gun like that called the Aphrodite? That's the Greek goddess of beauty" Marcel pointed out, slightly confused.

"That's because it's just such a beautiful noise when the gun's bullets are tearing through your enemy" Gerald said with a smile.

"I see…" Marcel said as he hit the phase shift switch. The legs, arms and head of the suit turned a deep purple while the knees, torso, wrists and shoulders turned dark red. Like the Paladin, the crest was silver with the centrepiece turning gold. The green eyes lit up and Marcel walked his new Gundam outside. "This thing is way different to the Chaos" he said as the thrusters on the backpack lit up and the Rebound ascended into the air before heading towards the Ceres. When he landed, Garret and Victoria were already waiting in the hanger. Marcel disengaged the phase shift as he disembarked and climbed down to his friends.

"So you got a new one as well huh?" Garret asked, looking at the Rebound.

"Yeah, it's called the Rebound Gundam. Apparently it deploys these mirrors things that I can redirect beams through" Marcel explained.

"Wow, that sounds cooler than Garret's" Victoria said, poking her tongue out at the blonde pilot.

"Oh, we're going out for a while, do you and Hilde wanna come along?" Garret asked, looking at Marcel.

"We have shore leave again?" Marcel asked.

"Yeah, apparently everyone is gearing up for a big operation to wipe out Purity so they want us to relax and make sure we're ready for it" Victoria explained.

"Alright, I'll come along, just let me go get changed and get Hilde" Marcel said as he ran off. He came back a few minutes later with both him and Hilde dressed in casual clothes.

"Let's go then" Garret said, climbing into the driver's seat of one of the Ceres' cars. They parked once they got into town and sat down at a small café overlooking a huge lake.

"So it's all gonna be over soon huh?" Marcel asked, sipping the drink he had ordered.

"I guess so. They say the operation is going to be huge. Apparently Purity has constructed a huge battleship and they have a fleet of like thirty ships, it's expected that the attacking forces are going to suffer pretty heavy casualties" Garret explained.

"Yet they'll say it's a sacrifice for the good of Earth and space so people will see a good reason for it all" Hilde sighed.

"It may be a big risk, but we're soldiers so this is our duty. We took on the role of fighting Purity so it's our duty to go out there for this final assault" Marcel said.

"It's so hard to believe though. If you look around here, you wouldn't think something so ominous is just around the corner" Victoria said with a sigh. The four looked down at the lake, watching children and parents playing in the water.

"That's something I never understood" Garret said. "If Alastair's goal is to wipe out Coordinators, then why didn't he start by attacking the PLANTs? Why stay on Earth for so long?" he asked.

"I often wondered about that very question when I was part of Purity, but I never got an answer" Hilde said in response. "I think Alastair is planning something much bigger than just the eradication of the Coordinators and I think we'll find out soon what it is" she continued.

"Well at the end of the last two wars there were giant cannons so maybe he's got one of them" Marcel said with a little laugh.

"Speak of the devil…" Garret said, looking up at a television inside the café. Alastair was standing on what appeared to be the bridge of a ship with Allen and Xero at his sides.

_"I stand here today to address the entirety of humanity. As all of you know, Purity and its ideals have come under constant attack by ZAFT, the Orb Union and the Earth Alliance Federation. As a result of this, many lives have been lost on every side. This was not my initial intent. I had hoped that our ideals would have been accepted and that a full-scale war would not break out like it has. I will be the first to admit that the elimination of Coordinators, the ultimate sin of humanity, was something that was far too large to merely 'accept'. I made an error in judgement from the very beginning, but I shall rectify that. I ask, one final time, that the people of Earth join with me in the final hours of this bloody conflict. Soon it shall all come to an end and after the final flames of battle are extinguished, a new world will be born. I, Alastair Masamune, want only to create a world of peace where the tyrants known as Coordinators cease to exist. Should they win the coming battle however; the world will continuously be sucked into a cycle of war. I urge you, true sons and daughters of humanity, stand with me in the final hours of this horrid war so that the world of peace I envision can become a reality" _Alastair spoke, his voice perfectly calm. With that, the broadcast stopped and people were instantly talking about what they had just seen.

"He sounds desperate" Victoria said. "He knows that he's been beaten" she continued.

"There was something in his eyes… he's got a plan. This was just to make everyone think that he's losing it. I have no idea what it is, but he's planning something" Garret explained.

"I don't think we should worry about it now. Let's just spend this time relaxing so that we're ready for whatever is coming" Hilde said. Everyone agreed with her and the four of them headed back to their seats. "Hey, let's go down to the lake, it's been forever since I went swimming" Hilde said, suddenly sounding like an excited little girl.

"That sounds like a good plan. We'll head back to the Ceres to get our swimsuits and then head down there" Garret said. By the time they arrived at the lake it was moving into late afternoon. Aston had joined them once they got back to the Ceres, wanting some relaxation time himself. The five of them got changed and ran for the water. As the afternoon went on, Garret swam up to Victoria and got her to follow him. He led her up onto an outlook that gave them a view of the whole lake.

"Wow, it's beautiful" Victoria said. "I'm so glad my injuries healed so I could spend this time in the water with everyone" she said.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're better now" Garret said with a smile.

"I can see the Commander from here, look. He's there sneaking up on Marcel" Victoria said, pointing down. The two watched as Aston slowly swam up behind Marcel and then jumped out of the water onto the younger pilot's back. Marcel struggled to hold both his own weight and Aston's and eventually fell with a crash under the water while Hilde merely watched and laughed.

"Wow, Aston acts as young as us sometimes" Garret said.

"Well he's not that much older" Victoria commented.

"True. Hey Victoria, I want to ask you something" Garret said, his tone turning serious. Victoria turned to look at him as he stared out over the water.

"The final battle against Purity is going to be extremely dangerous. There's a good chance we'll get hurt or injured. If we come back, it has to be both of us together" he said. "So I want some incentive to make sure that we both come back for sure" he began. He reached into his pocket and took out a small black box. He opened it up to reveal a beautiful silver ring with a ruby in the centre. "Victoria Mays, will you marry me?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

"G…Garret! Wow… this is so sudden" she said, staring at the ring. "Of course" she said with a smile. Garret slipped the ring onto her finger and the two shared a long embrace. "You better make sure you come back now" she whispered to him.

"I swear that I will" Garret replied. The two of them returned to the car and sat in it with Garret in the driver's seat and Victoria in the back. The others returned shortly after and the car began heading back towards the Ceres. Hilde reached down for her bag on the floor of the car and glanced at Victoria's hand, seeing the ring.

"Victoria!" she suddenly squealed, throwing her arms around the brunette girl and almost smacking Marcel in the head with her hands.

"Hilde, what the heck, you almost hit me!" the boy said loudly. Hilde quickly grabbed Victoria's hand and held it up, showing him the ring. A huge grin spread across Marcel's face and Victoria turned bright red. "Garret you stud!" Marcel said, jabbing his fist into the blonde pilot's shoulder.

"Trying to drive here" Garret said, ignoring the hit. Aston watched Hilde and Marcel fussing over Victoria in the backseat. He smiled and gave the brunette girl a nod who smiled back at him.

"Congratulations Garret" he said, smiling at his comrade.

"Thanks Aston" Garret responded.

"I guess that means I have to come back from this mission now" Aston sighed with a smile on his face.

"Why's that? You're not the one getting married" Garret said, smiling. 

"I'm aware of that. But imagine how boring your wedding would be without someone as amazingly awesome as me there" Aston declared. "Also I take your little 'why's that' as an offence" he added.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even think to invite you" Garret said with a huge grin on his face.

"You're demoted" Aston muttered. The car arrived back on the Ceres and the news of Garret and Victoria spread like a wildfire. Mostly thanks to Hilde. That night the crew of the ship held a party for the two of them. Garret snuck away from the overly excited crowd and retreated into the hallway somewhere close to midnight. He was soon joined by Aston.

"You definitely know how to take everyone's mind of the battle don't you" the crimson haired man said.

"Yeah I guess so. It's odd seeing this ship so lively from something other than a Purity attack" he said jokingly. "Once this is all over it'll be nice to have a reason to just settle down and get away from all this fighting" he said.

"Very true. You just make sure you come back" Aston said, placing a hand on Garret's shoulder. The younger pilot nodded and the two continued an idle conversation until everyone finally went to bed. Garret sat on his bed with Victoria who was examining her ring.

"When did you even have to time to get this?" Victoria asked, resting her head on her new fiancé's shoulder.

"When you were in the hospital in Orb" Garret replied.

"Oh, so you've had it for a while. You were just to chicken to ask weren't you?" she asked with a laugh, poking Garret in the side.

"Yeah, something like that" he smiled. "Come on, let's get some sleep" Garret said and the two climbed into bed. They fell asleep quickly and drifted away into their dreams.


	14. Chapter 14

The peaceful sleep was cut short however when the ship's alarm went off early in the morning.

"Oh for crying out loud" Garret groaned as he climbed out of bed. He and Victoria quickly proceeded to the hanger in their pilot suits where Marcel was already boarding the Rebound. As Garret climbed into the Paladin, Captain Phillips appeared on his screen.

"There is a force of fifteen Purity suits attack this PLANT. You three will be the only ones going out since the Saviour and Calamity are currently under modification" he explained.

"Roger that" Garret spoke as he was loaded onto the catapult. "This is Garret Kross in the Paladin Gundam, taking to the skies!" he called as he shot out. Marcel was loaded on next. He watched as the Gundam was equipped. One of the two beam rifles went into his right hand while the suit's massive shield engulfed the whole left arm, hanging over both his hand and shoulder. The second beam rifle was put on the right side of the waist and the pistol on the left.

"Marcel North, Rebound Gundam, let's blow 'em away!" he called as the purple and red suit went out to follow the Paladin. The Perfect Strike was the last to be placed on the catapult.

"Victoria, this Strike is equipped with a nuclear engine so you won't have to worry about running out of power" Richard informed the girl.

"Right" She said as her equipment was loaded. "I guess I should say something new too" she thought to herself. "Victoria Mays in the Perfect Strike Gundam, taking the stage!" she called. The three Gundams left the PLANT and were instantly greeted by a rain of gunfire. Garret went to work with his Moralltachs and Victoria began attacking with her Schwert Gewehr sword.

"Let's test out this Neptunis System" Marcel said. He flicked a switch and the shield opened up, deploying thirty small, square mirrors that hovered around the Gundam. Marcel closed his eyes, took a deep breath and entered his seed mode. He kept three mirrors in front of him and the rest flew off into the battlefield. He lined up the three mirrors he had kept in front of the Rebound and fired into the centre one with his rifle. He quickly targeted another of the mirrors on his monitor and watched the green beam fly out of it into an enemy suit. "Oh I like this already" he said with a grin. He continued firing, slowly getting used to the system and how to fire through multiple mirrors at once.

"Take this!" Victoria called, slicing straight through a Windam. She spun around and the blade of her sword cut through the torso of a GuAIZ. "Garret, move it!" she called out, bringing her Agni up. Garret did as he was told and the thrusters lining the edges of his wings lit up, shooting the Paladin upwards as the large red and white beam tore through a number of Purity suits. Garret quickly descended again and cut through two more with his Moralltachs.

"Three more!" Garret called, heading for three Dagger Ls. He looked up as three mirrors flew past him and then three green beams emerged from them, piercing the cockpits of each suit.

"Well, that was easy" Marcel said as all of the Neptunis mirrors returned to his shield.

"That is one impressive system. Cheap as hell, but impressive" Garret commented, sheathing the Paladin's Moralltachs.

"I think I've got the basics down. It shouldn't be too hard learning to multitask with it" Marcel commented as the three pilots headed back inside the PLANT to the Ceres. Once they returned to the bridge they found Aston and Hilde there too.

"What's going on?" Garret asked as they walked up to the other two pilots. Aston raised a hand to silence him. Garret quickly saw why. Captain Phillips was in a conversation with a brown haired young man in a white ZAFT uniform.

"So that's the situation. I need the Ceres at the head of the ZAFT fleet that will be attacking the Purity fleet" the young man spoke, his purple eyes staring out the main window for the bridge. "Once we break through their defences, I'd like the Ceres and two other ships to lead the assault on the Crucifix" he continued.

"Yes, that seems like a valid plan, I can agree with that. I will have the Paladin and Rebound focus on finding and eliminating the Tyranny first and foremost. That mobile suit is a threat that must be dealt with as quickly as possible" Richard said. The ZAFT soldier nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that is true. I've seen the reports about that suit and I can tell that the Tyranny is definitely superior to the original Freedom" he spoke.

"Well I guess you would know that one personally, Kira Yamato" Richard said, looking into the eyes of the young man. The eyes of Garret, Marcel and Victoria all went wide when they heard the name.

"You're really the hero of the first Bloody Valentine War, Kira Yamato?" Garret asked, stepping forward.

"I don't know if I'd really say hero, but yes I am Kira Yamato. May I ask your name?" Kira asked in return.

"Oh, um, my name is Garret Kross sir. I'm the pilot of the Paladin Gundam" Garret said with a salute.

"I see, so you're the pilot of the Paladin. Yzak told me about you, he said that you were quite impressive in the Duel that you used to pilot" Kira said, holding out his hand to Garret. The blonde pilot took his hand and shook it firmly.

"I appreciate Commander Joule's words sir, but I'm really nothing special" Garret said.

"You shouldn't disregard your own skill Garret. If you weren't a good pilot, Orb wouldn't have given you the Paladin" Kira pointed out and Garret nodded.

"Will you be participating in this operation too?" Garret asked.

"No, I'll be remaining in the PLANTs to protect Chairwoman Clyne and to stop any Purity forces that might get here" Kira replied. Garret nodded and stepped back into the group of his fellow pilots. "Operation Lightburst will begin two days from now at 0900, please make sure you are ready" the brown haired young man spoke. As Kira rose, every person on the bridge rose and salute until he disappeared from view.

"So that was Kira Yamato…" Garret said as he watched him leave.

"So what's the plan Captain Phillips?" Marcel asked, looking at the black uniformed man.

"Essentially, we're leading the ZAFT fleet. We'll be at the head of the formation and will charge straight through Purity's defences. Once the other ships engage Purity's mobile suits and ships, we will launch an all-out attack on the Purity dreadnaught, the Crucifix. It is believed the Tyranny will be on board that ship so as soon as it appears, the Paladin and Rebound are to engage and destroy it. We're not entirely sure what it will take to destroy the Crucifix, nor do we know its combat capabilities so we have to be careful" Richard explained. "Orb and the Earth Forces will also be sending forces to assist in the fight but we're not entirely sure when they arrive. If they are not at the battle zone when we arrive, instead of going straight for the Crucifix, we are to assist in attacking the more minor ships" he continued.

"What about my Saviour and Aston's Calamity?" Hilde asked.

"I have been assured by Chief Engineer Farris that our Gundams will have their modifications completed tonight so they will be in perfect working order" Aston replied.

"I want all of you well rested and fully prepared for anything Alastair throws at us during this operation. Dismissed" Richard spoke. The pilots saluted and left the bridge, gathering in the briefing room.

"So in two days, the final battle of this war is going to begin" Marcel said, sitting down in one of the many seats.

"Yeah, seems that way. It seems like forever since we attacked that first Purity transport on our way to Earth" Garret said, remembering the fight himself, Marcel and Lucian had participated in when they had still been on board the Bayonet.

"I always thought I'd be on the other side of this fight. I never pictured myself siding with ZAFT and fighting the man who saved my life" Hilde said. "But I don't regret it, I know I'm on the right side now" she said with a smile.

"I don't think any of us ever thought we'd be doing anything like this when we first got into our mobile suits" Victoria said, toying with her ring. Everyone's attention was drawn to Aston who approached the podium at the front of the room.

"I know I'm not really one for speeches but I think this situation calls for one. Victoria and Marcel, I met the two of you when we all boarded the Bayonet for the first time. Back then Marcel was a timid little boy flying a ZAKU Warrior and Victoria was our always reliable comm. girl on the bridge" Aston said with a smile. "Hilde, the others all encountered you personally on the battlefield but the first time I ever met you was in the medical bay of this ship, wrapped in bandages. Then there's Garret, I first met you just after you graduated from the academy and you were just a beginner pilot constantly getting lectured by me and Cecil" he continued.

"Yeah, and now I could kick your butt six ways to Sunday" Garret remarked.

"Be quiet and let me finish my moving speech" Aston said threateningly. "It took me a while to get to know each of you personally, but now I feel that there is nobody else I would rather have at my side for the final battle we are approaching. You have all grown a lot since I met you all and each one of you have become amazing pilots. I hate to admit it but I know my skills have been outclassed by some of you, but I'd like to think that's because of my guiding hand" he said, gazing mostly at Garret and Marcel. "I know the task before us is a daunting one, but I know that each of you will return safely and with victory in your hands" Aston concluded with a proud smile on his face.

"That was really nice Commander" Victoria said with a smile and a tear in her eye.

"I'm happy I met all of you as well and like Aston, I'm proud to be fighting beside you for this" Hilde said, looking between everyone.

"Whatever happens out there, as long as we stick together, there's nothing those Purity bastards can do to stop us" Marcel said, putting his fist into the air.

"We're one hell of a team, and they won't stop us" Garret said. He held his hand out palm down and each of the others added their own hands too. "In two days time, we'll go out there, kick some Purity ass and put an end to this war" Garret spoke, looking between everyone. They all threw up their hands and cheered. The war was finally coming to a close…


	15. Part 3 Link

Thank you all for reading until the end of part two. The third and final part of this fanfiction is available from my profile. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to Gundam Seed Purity.

Chrome


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